The Underland Chronicles II Book 1: The Warrior's Legacy
by Vengeous
Summary: Calvin Oberton travels to the Underland after being given directions to it by his late father. There, along with the deadly Ripred, brave Queen Luxa and controversial King Conrad, he is tasked to prevent a brewing war that may change the Underland forever. My first fanfic. Rated T for violence and coarse language. Please review it as much as possible.
1. Chapter 1: Calvin Oberton

_**Underland Chronicles II Book 1: The Warrior's Legacy**_

**You. Yes, you. **

**I know you came to look at this story and you don't really like it because of Gregor's absence in this story. I know many fans out there are fans of Gluxa. And I'm sorry if this story can't help to fulfil that gap in your heart that you felt at the end of Code of Claw. Trust me, I felt the same. I was dissatisfied with the ending of Code of Claw and I wanted to see Gregor return. But this story here is supposed to build up to Gregor's return in my next story. But I'll only write that story if I know enough people can appreciate this story.**

**This is my first fanfic. It's a new experience for me. I need encouragement along the way. I'm not asking you to follow this story, or favourite it. I just want reviews. Because I would love to improve as a writer. But if you notice, as every chapter passes, I'm not getting enough reviews. And it's hurting me.**

**Only YOU can help me. Please, it has come to a point when I feel lonely writing this story. Don't make too quick a judgement based on just this first chapter of my story. If you have something negative to say, then by all means say it. **

**I hope you enjoy my story. It has been a tough time for me, which is why I have changed this introduction from its original one. Calvin may not be the hero you all deserve, but he is the one you need right now.**

**Chapter 1: Calvin Oberton**

Calvin stared at the metropolis that was New York City from his vantage point. He was situated on the top of his late father's company building, the Oberton Complex. One of the newest additions to New York City's skyscrapers, it towered above most buildings in a 1-mile radius, with buildings such as 40 Wall Street being dwarfed by its size.

The skyline was beautiful, but Calvin paid no attention to that. He was only thinking of one thing: his father. Calvin's mother had passed away when he was 8, and while he was devastated by the loss, he never truly cared as much for her as he did for his father. She had passed away from illness; while you could not avenge your mother's death against cancer, you certainly could against the men who had killed his father.

According to his mentor, Mr Carter, his father had been tracked down and assassinated for unknown reasons. Some rumours were that the company's rivals, Zephyr, had ordered his assassination; others rumours claimed it was a family feud. Nobody knew for sure, because the policemen themselves were confounded by such a case. All suspects had alibis, and there really wasn't any other links.

However, Calvin couldn't care less. He had loss the guiding light in his life, the loving father who had showered privileges on him while teaching him so many important life lessons. Calvin was not devastated. He wasn't. the word devastated could not convey the agony that Calvin went through after his father's death. He swore to himself at his father's funeral, that he would gain vengeance and bring pride to his father's name. He had so much money that he didn't even need to work anymore for the rest of his life, but he would have traded all that money just to have his father back.

He was a broken teenage boy, and no amount of consoling from friends or money bestowed upon him would mend him.

Ever since his father's death, he had become a more secluded person. His friends in school tried to interact with him more, but he absolutely refused to open up. He had held back the tears or the cries of sorrow until he was home, with his kindly caretaker Bennett. There, he would sob and sob away as he felt his heart crumble, only for him to build up a barrier again the next day.

This routine was wearing him out. He could feel it. But he soldiered on, as he knew that was what his father would have wanted. He fancied himself pretty good-looking too, as girls in school would approach him and shyly ask him to go out for lunch. He thought dates would help to heal his heart, but they only antagonized his short temper instead. He had sent a girl home crying countless times, but he truly, truly did not care. They had no idea how it was like to deal with the death of a loved one.

He decided to stop feeling sorry for himself, and made his way down the building towards the street, before performing his usual Saturday routine of watching out for innocent people down alleyways. Mr Carter told him that his father was constantly striving to protect the weak and the innocent, and that was why Calvin sought to do the same. Ironically, it was down one of these alleyways where his father was killed. He ignored that thought, and forged ahead when he heard a cry for help. He rounded the corner and saw two men attempting to rob a young lady in her 20s.

Calvin sauntered up to the robbers slowly, and tapped one of the robbers on the shoulder. The robber whirled around and found Calvin's fist crunch into his face. Calvin then blocked a strike from the other robber, and reacted quickly to duck a swipe from the robber's knife. He backed up quickly, recalling what Mr Carter had told him._ Use the momentum of the person's charge to trip him,_ Calvin remembered. The robber charged at him brandishing another knife, but Calvin cooly sidestepped the attack and stuck out a foot, sending the robber sprawling. He then stomped on the robber's wrist, causing the robber to let go of the knife with a yelp of pain.

He then proceeded to stomp on the robber's wrist, causing the robber to let go of the other knife with another yelp of pain. Just as Calvin kicked the knives away from the robber, he felt a knife pressed against his throat. He sighed to himself. He had carelessly forgotten about the other robber. The robber snarled against his ear, " Kid, you better drag your sorry ass back to Daddy, cos' you ain't…"

At the mention of the word "Daddy", Calvin lost his cool. He swung his head backwards, smashing into the robber's nose, before gripping his wrist and twisting it, leading to the robber crying out involuntarily. He then leaned forward, pulling the robber's arm at the same time. He then dropped his shoulder, flipping the robber unceremoniously onto the ground. It was frankly a clumsily executed move, but it had served its purpose. While the robber was lying on the ground, gasping in shock, Calvin yanked him to his feet, and kneed him in the groin, before finishing the robber off with a solid right hook. The robber crumpled to the ground in pain. Calvin had regained his cool, but he couldn't resist replying coldly. "I have no Daddy, and you'll never be one," he snarled.

He heard the sound of familiar footsteps behind him, followed by the familiar clearing of a man's throat. " We need to work on your flipping." Mr Carter stated simply.

Calvin nodded in agreement. He turned around to check on the woman, but she was long gone. "She should have stayed back to thank me," Calvin grumbled unhappily.

Mr Carter, quickly cuffed the robbers, before replying, "You can't blame her. Most people would have taken to their heels given the chance to escape a situation such as this. Let's go back home and leave these scumbags here for the policemen. I'm revising the rat and bat anatomy with you today."

Mr Melvin Carter was a British immigrant, and had been staying in America for 16 years. He was about a good 6 feet tall, and weighed a solid 185 pounds. He was somewhere between his 40s and 50s, Calvin couldn't quite tell. He originally had a rich, smooth and cultured British accent, which he complained was badly affected by years living in America, with his "great voice suffering from the perversion of this damn American slang".

He had come to meet Calvin's father through a friend, or so he claimed. Calvin suspected it had something to do with his father's shipping business charging higher prices, and Mr Carter had been one of those men who stood up against his father. However, they became good friends in the end, and Mr Carter even became Calvin's godfather. He was a jack of all trades. he could simply perform any task set for him. He was like a walking encyclopedia, armed with tricks and skills. Calvin had never known a better teacher than him. He was simply phenomenal, and Calvin had a great amount of respect and love for him.

After his father's death, he had assumed the role as Calvin's mentor, while Mr Bennett had become the father figure for him. Evidently, his father had entrusted Mr Carter with the job of educating his son after his death, a role that Mr Carter had taken with great relish. What Calvin found unusual, was the topics he was taught. Apart from the basic knowledge acquired from school and Mr Carter regarding subjects like Mathematics and Literature, he was also taught about insect, rat,bat, and even fox anatomies, and where to land the crucial killer blows to these animals. Furthermore, he was taught how to use a sword to fight animals such as rats his size.

He was forced to take this seriously, even though he could never imagine himself attempting to use such a specific method to killing these animals. They were bloody small creatures! He would never need to fight rats his size, since that was clearly impossible. And what was up with foxes? There were no foxes in New York City, let alone massive 8 foot ones. Whenever he questioned Mr Carter's decision to learn about this… rubbish, Mr Carter would stare at Calvin with a slight twinkle in his eye, and ask Calvin to trust him.

And Calvin did. Apart from Mr Bennett, he was the person Calvin trusted most. However, the weird thing was that Mr Bennett never questioned those seemingly ridiculous lessons. Occasionally, he would stop by to listen for a while, a knowing look in his eyes. There was something those two men knew that Calvin didn't, and Calvin was adamant that he would find out why soon. He had been taught by Mr Carter for 5 years now, and he was 15 years old. Surely they could entrust him a secret, no matter how big it was!

Moreover, he was taught how to shoot a gun, how to engage in hand-to-hand combat, and how to barter or negotiate. This was a very specific skillset, and Calvin had soon realised after about 1 year of learning that this was a skillset meant for secret agents that worked for organizations such as MI6 and the CIA, bar the weird animal lessons.

He was sure that most of these lessons were taught by Mr Carter because of his father's death. He had a sinking feeling that Mr Carter knew the true reasons behind his father's death, and if Mr Carter was trying to prevent Calvin from learning about it, then Calvin would never know the true reasons behind his father's death, as Mr Carter would protect a secret to the end of his life. Nevertheless, Calvin put all his effort into learning as much as possible from Mr Carter's lessons. Once again, he had a sinking feeling that he would need to use these skills to protect his own life.

Once Calvin reached home, he headed up to his father's room. Often, when Calvin was feeling down, he would enter his father's room and examine his father's completed and unfinished work. In a sense, it was the only way he could connect with his father. However, what intrigued him most was a safe, locked, and according to Mr Carter, "heavily armed". Calvin hypothesized that all the answers to the unanswered questions about his father's life and death lay inside that safe. He swore that one day, and hopefully the time was coming, that he would open up that safe and find out all he needed to know. Calvin turned his attention back to his father's desk. He understood most of the dealings that went on in the corporate world, so he had no problem reading some of the letters on his father's desk.

However, there was one letter that left Calvin utterly confused. It was a letter addressed to him by a man named Vikus, and it was written in the most unusual handwriting Calvin had ever seen in his life. It went something like this:

_Dear Richard Oberton,_

_Thank you for all you have done for our city. We are saddened to hear from Ripred about the decision you have made, but we accept it. I just want you to know that my city is extremely grateful for the service that you have provided, and we have already taken measures to do your bidding. A storm is coming, Mr Oberton, and I believe that the chances of any of us coming away from this unscathed. However, the strongest weapon in our hands now is not a gun, nor a sword, nor a claw. That strongest weapon is hope. And I hope that before your final moments, that you will have that hope deep in your heart. We all carry the hope of a better age._

_Yours truly, _

_Vikus_

Calvin frowned after reading this for the umpteenth time. What kind of message was this? Who was Vikus? What city was he talking about? Who was Ripred? What service had his father done? Why was Vikus so grateful? What was his father's "bidding"? What the hell did Vikus mean by "a storm is coming"? Calvin was so frustrated by all these questions that he snapped out loud, "Who the hell has a name like Ripred?"

"Someone who has an honourable heart," came the reply from behind him. Calvin turned around to see Mr Carter leaning against the doorway, staring at Calvin.

Calvin threw his hands up in frustration. "That still doesn't answer the bloody question! Does that mean that all honourable people have a name like Ripred?" Calvin retorted.

"Perhaps you will have the answer to that question soon, if you stop whining like a little boy and act on your current situation. Now, lessons are about to start. When you are done bawling, you can head to the study and get ready for the lesson," Mr Carter answered coldly, before leaving the room. Calvin was shocked by the response of Mr Carter. Mr Carter rarely spoke in this manner. He would either explode in fury, or remain cool and calm. Never had he seen Mr Carter so cold before. He must have hit a nerve. But what had Calvin said wrongly? Shaking his head, he got up and made his way to the study, his mind buzzing with questions.

Calvin headed out of the study towards the physical training area after his lessons with Mr Carter. Thanks to his inherited wealth, he had all the resources he needed in order to train, and he wasn't going to take this situation for granted. He had the opportunity, and this was his chance to take it. He picked up a dagger, and practised his killer strokes on a dummy. He then switched to using the Beretta M9, a semiautomatic pistol, in one hand, and a flintlock pistol in the other.

He was still rather unfamiliar with the use of a gun in each hand, but he still practised shooting two separate targets with the guns. Once he was done, he then proceeded to work on his sword fighting skills. Mr Carter was rather particular about his finesse with the blade, as he claimed, "Every good gentleman must be adept with the blade. And fencing has always been a gentleman's sport." Calvin preferred to grip his weapon with both hands rather than with one hand, which was often seen in fencing competitions. But it didn't matter to him. All he needed to learn was how to use a sword in order to defend himself.

He was midway through attacking another dummy when he heard a squeak. He ignored it was not fond of rats, but he didn't feel the need to attack them. Then he heard another squeak. Then another. Then another. He was started to feel irritated. After a few more minutes of squeaking, he shouted, "Cut it out!" There was a sudden silence, before a multitude of different squeaks, shrieks and high-pitched whistles came round. Calvin remembered Mr Carter's advice: _Never lose your temper unnecessarily. In fact, never lose your temper. Trust me, it will be your downfall. _So Calvin endured the noise. However, the noise steadily increased, and Calvin finally lost his temper. He spun around, his sword flashing in his hand. And then his eyes widened in disbelief and shock.

Staring quietly at him was at least a hundred rats.

**There you have it, my first chapter. I sincerely hope you review it, so I may improve as a writer. Reviews are what keep me going and let me feel appreciated at least. So even if you are a guest, please just write a few words. It would be a massive boost for me. Thank you all! **


	2. Chapter 2: Fighting in the Shadows

**Hi Guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! This is where things start to get exciting. We will see the story start to unravel, and the main antagonist will be revealed. Please remember to review my story please! It motivates me to carry on! So far, thanks to Gregortheunderlander1918 and Witwickety! Your support has made my day! So yea, please review my story!**

**Chapter 2: Fighting in the shadows**

Calvin gawked in shock at the mass of rats. There were so many different types of them! Brown, black, grey, red… wait, red?... striped, furry, injured… Calvin lost control of his body staring at the rats. He couldn't tell if he was frightened or just plain shocked. All he knew was that he couldn't move a muscle in his body. They stared at him inquisitively at first, but then they started shuffling forward slowly but surely.

That shocked Calvin into action. He swiped through the air with his blade once, hoping to frighten them away. Some of them hesitated for a moment, but most continued to edge forward slowly. Calvin reached out for his flintlock pistol and aimed it at them, his finger tightening around the trigger. That didn't scare them away in the least. Calvin felt cold sweat drenching his shirt, and he found his finger trembling over the trigger.

_Pull it! _His mind screamed at him. _Shoot the damned rats!_ But still he couldn't pull the trigger. His heart thumped hard against his chest. he needed to think of something fast… damn it, what could he do… they were within 15 metres of him… what happens if they converge on him… would they tear him to pieces… he should probably swing his sword to protect himself... Once again Calvin found himself unable to control the muscles in his body. However, he used all the willpower left in his mind to snap out of his stupor. Raising the flintlock pistol, he fired a shot into the air above him. This finally halted the rats in their lowered his weapon and trained it on them. "P-Please," Calvin stammered aloud, "b-back off. I do not want to harm you g-guys, but if you advance any further I will have no choice. What is it you want? Food? Look, I can give you a food, but I can't give it to you unless you back off."

The rats stared at each other for a while, they squeaked to each other softly, before returning their attention to him. There they stood, in a tense stand-off, neither side doing anything except staring at the opposition. Calvin breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard Mr Carter calling out for him. He must have realized that Calvin was taking way too long doing physical training. However, that didn't seem to faze the rats. They continued to remain in their positions, staring at him. Damn it, what was up with these rats? What were they looking for? And why the hell were there so many of them?

Then Calvin heard a high-pitched shriek that must have echoed throughout the house. The rats gnashed their teeth in frustration at Calvin, before scurrying out of the room. Within moments, they had evacuated the room and mysteriously exited the mansion without a trace of their existence, except for the disgusting rat saliva left in the room. Calvin then could have sworn he saw a massive shadow of a four-legged creature hanging around outside his doorway. Was it a giant… no, it couldn't be, rats didn't grow to those sizes, it was utterly impossible!

Intrigued by the shadow, Calvin rushed forward to take a look. However, the shadow was already moving away. And it was moving away very fast. He had barely turned around the corner, when he caught a glimpse of a grey mass turning and disappearing around the corner of the other end of the hallway. What the hell was that creature? The first animal that had come to mind was a rat.

The shadow had whiskers, was shaped like a large furry rat, and had a rat-like tail. But Calvin was very sure rats didn't grow to that size. Maybe it was a large dog… no, even dogs didn't grow to that size. On its haunches, it must have been at least 6 feet, but it was also incredibly large width wise. Maybe it was a lion that escaped from the zoo. Animals did and continue to escape from the Central park zoo, which was closest to his home. He wasn't sure if they had a lion though, but it honestly didn't matter. A very large creature had just entered his home, and it had scared the wits out of Calvin.

He was about to turn round and call for Mr Carter and Mr Bennett when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Still reeling from the shock of seeing a hundred rats and a large horrendous creature hanging around his home, he jumped and let out a high-pitched scream. When he spun around, he found himself looking at Mr carter, who raised an eyebrow at the scream. That was when Calvin lost all control of himself.

"MR CARTER! You've gotta help us! Our house is under attack by crazy rats and big human-eating creatures! Call the cops! Call the NYPD, the FBI, Homeland Security, call all of them! Call my father's security as well, they are needed to be around me every hour of every freaking day. Those rats were going to KILL ME!THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE MY BLOODY FREAKING LIFE! Is that how my father died? There were so many of them… what are we going to do? Can you promise to protect me please?"

Mr Carter nodded his head patiently. "Please Calvin, calm down, and maybe we can..."

Calvin didn't let him finish his sentence. He continued blabbering, "Why the hell are you telling me to CALM DOWN? Do you have any idea what I'VE BEEN THROUGH? Oh, and I forgot, call pest control and tell them we have a FREAKING RAT INFESTATION in our home! And they better do a bloody good job of it, because if not I WILL SUE EVERY SINGLE…"

"SHUT UP OBERTON! THAT'S ENOUGH!" roared Mr Carter.

Calvin instantly fell silent. Mr Carter rarely addressed him by his surname. Mr Bennett came rushing down the corridor. "What on earth is going on? What's with all the shouting and screaming?"

Mr Carter broke his icy stare away from Calvin and turned to Mr Bennett. "Nothing is going on, Mr Bennett. However, we happen to have rat saliva in the physical training room. If you would be so kind to help us clean it up…"

"I swear it wasn't nothing. I know what I saw, and I saw a hundred rats gathered in front of me," growled Calvin.

Mr Carter turned to face him once again, before snarling at Calvin, "Don't interrupt me again Oberton. We will deal with the situation at hand with a good deal of calmness."

Calvin noticed Mr Bennett going white with… fear? Mr Bennett didn't fear anything, not even the deadliest of animals. With a trembling voice, Mr Bennett spoke up. "It's time isn't it?" he asked Mr Carter.

Mr Carter stared forward expressionlessly. He then answered slowly. " Mr Bennett, I will speak to you privately later. I need to hear from Ober… Calvin first," he corrected himself through gritted teeth, "but for now, please just help us clear up the rat saliva in Calvin's room. It would be greatly appreciated." Mr Bennett nodded quickly, before making his way to the kitchen to get a towel. Mr Carter gestured to Calvin to follow him.

Mr Carter led him to the study wordlessly, before closing and locking the door behind him. Mr Carter stared at Calvin for a while, causing Calvin to feel a little uncomfortable. "Calvin Oberton," he began slowly, "tonight will probably be life-changing for you. Because at the end of the night, I will probably be gone, and you will be alone. Seeing Calvin's face, he explained, "That means I will be dead, and you will have none other than yourself and Mr Bennett to save your life."

Ignoring Calvin's look of shock, he continued, "I understand that this will come as a shock for you, and I'm sorry that this has to happen to you again. I know that you have so many unanswered questions in your head, and my current conversation with you will add to that list. I am truly sorry, but I cannot explain to you much at the moment. As a young 15 year old, you deserve much more than this, especially for a character like yourself. I assure you though, that many of your questions will be answered tonight, and that the secrets that lead to those answers lie there," he said, pointing at a small box, before carrying on, "in there lies a key. The key to unlock your father's safe, which should lead you to your answers."

Mr Carter suddenly sounded hundreds of years old. "Whatever happens to you, know that I loved you like your father did, and I am very proud of you and what you have done. There is no greater joy for a teacher than seeing his pupil succeed," Mr Carter's voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper, as he hunched over in misery.

He struggled to say something, and Calvin noticed tears welling up in his beloved teacher's eyes. Mr Carter calmed himself before finally forcing out his last words during this talk, "I-I m-must admit, I didn't take this as well as your father had. Trust me, it is difficult to accept your own death," he said, taking a deep breath, "It is time for me to accept what your father accepted."

He straightened up, and looked into Calvin's eyes with the most intense stare Calvin had ever seen Mr Carter give. "No matter what happens to me Calvin, if I do not return by 11pm tonight, open up that envelope," he said, pointing at a brown envelope, "because it has a code to opening the wooden box which conceals the key. Once you have done so, open up the safe. And follow its instructions step-by-step. But remember, whether I am alive or dead, as long as I am not home by 11pm tonight, you must open that envelope," Mr Carter said with added emphasis.

Calvin was at a lost for words. All he did was nod slowly. Mr Carter gave a sad half-smile at Calvin, before getting up and saying to Calvin, "Now give your teacher a good hug." Calvin found himself in his teacher's arms, with hot tears rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably. Mr Carter patted him on the back a few more times before letting go. His last words before leaving were, "Stay strong, Calvin Oberton. _Our legacy will be immortal_," Mr Carter said, quoting the family motto. With that, he gave a tearing Mr Bennett a quick hug, before putting on his hat and trenchcoat. He took a look at the mansion one more time, before closing the door behind him.

Mr Bennett headed back to his room, visibly distressed at the whole situation. Calvin stared at the family motto engraved on a large golden ship in the living room. _Our legacy is immortal, _Calvin read. Was that really true? It was so difficult to forge a legacy, but so easy to destroy one. Were legacies truly immortal? He then decided that he had enough of standing by and watching his loved ones die. "Damn all of our legacies, I just want all of you alive," he murmured to himself. He quickly grabbed a black jacket,snatched his flintlock pistol, and slipping on his jeans and sneakers, headed out into New York City's crisp autumn, following the trail of Mr Carter, who was only just over a hundred yards or so in front of him, with the New York moon starting to rise over the city.

Calvin had no trouble keeping up with Mr Carter for once. Mr Carter was walking unusually slowly, with his long strides now relatively smaller. He was clearly scared of something, and was not ready to meet it. Calvin attempted to keep his distance to prevent Mr Carter from realizing that he was following him. After making his way through the packed streets of New York, he abruptly turned and crossed through Central Park. At one point, he even stopped to look at a stone wistfully. _That stone must have been of some significance to him_, thought Calvin.

Mr Carter now doubled his pace and headed towards a deserted alleyway. Calvin wanted to call out to him, to tell him not to make the same mistake his father made, but Calvin's warning suddenly got caught in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. In the end, he decided to stay by one corner and watch the situation. He quickly dashed towards a shadowy corner, and peeked from his position to look at the situation.

Mr Carter stood in the middle of the alleyway. He remained in that position for a few minutes, unmoving. Just as Calvin began to lose his patience, and walk towards Mr Carter, Mr Carter called out, "I know you are there." Calvin froze in shock. How did Mr Carter know?

He was about to step out and reveal himself, when he heard a slow, menacing laugh coming from another section of shadows. "Well done, Mr Melvin Carter,"came a smooth, velvet voice, "very impressive." The voice sounded like it belonged to someone like Alan Rickman, but Calvin really couldn't see much. All he saw was an enormous shadow rise up in the alleyway. Once again, darkness and shadow obstructed Calvin's vision. Mr Carter looked up at the creature, which had reared up on its hind legs, bringing it up to 8 feet in height. It then dropped onto all fours.

At first, Calvin thought that this was the creature that he had seen in his home earlier, but after observing the monstrosity for a while, he realized that this creature was much, much bigger. Mr Carter calmly responded, "Ripred indicated that you would be up here. He told me that if he ever rose up to the Overland, a monster would be following him. And he was right." There it was again. That name Ripred.

The shadow chuckled again. "I'm no monster, Melvin. May I call you Melvin? How about Mel? I'd prefer saying that. It only has one syllable. Oh dear, I've been blabbering. Poor habit of mine. I assure you though, that I will not dishonour your death with my incessant blabbering." That was when the creature opened its closed eyes, revealing two yellow eyes. Calvin couldn't see the rest of it, but he was fixated by those eyes. He was riveted by the power that radiated in those eyes, the madness, the cunning and worse of all, the cruelty. Those eyes symbolized a usually unconquerable enemy, Mr Carter had told him. These people, or creatures in this case, were driven by an insatiable hunger for destruction rather than material benefits.

The creature smiled, revealing two sets of clean, gleaming white teeth. "As you can see, I haven't eaten in a while. I am absolutely famished! Well, I guess my teeth are going to be stained with your blood tonight," the creature said with a slight shrug. Mr Carter drew out a blade, and shifted his body into a fighting stance.

The creature grinned again. "This will be over quickly," it said quietly, almost to the point of a whisper. Then, the creature leapt at him.

Calvin could barely see anything. Mr Carter was a good fighter, but with the blur of shadows that was going on, he really couldn't tell who was winning. He still hadn't seen what the creature looked like, apart from its yellow eyes and serrated teeth. The shadows kept moving, and damn was that creature fast. Within half a minute, he heard the creature swipe at Mr Carter with astonishing speed. He heard Mr Carter cry out in pain, and resisted the urge to run out and help him._ Wait for the right moment,_ his instinct told him. Mr carter dropped to the ground, clutching his back in pain.

The creature, lay back for a while. "Not bad, Mel, not bad,although like most opponents, you couldn't even make a scratch," he mocked Mr Carter, "but don't you worry, I'll finish you off in a while. Maybe we can wait for your pupil to arrive." The creature suddenly sniffed the air. "Hold on a minute, he is here! Dear me, how did I not notice his scent? Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your _fear _and _anguish_. Come on, move out of your hiding place."

Calvin saw the silhouette of Mr Carter look up. "C-Calvin?" he said weakly.

The creature chuckled once more. "So that's his name - Calvin," the creature said with great relish, "He must have seen us fight, Mel! He saw his own teacher fall! Ah I guess, I must wait a long time for the next opponent to give me an injury."

It was Mr Carter's turn to chuckle. "I wouldn't count on that," he said, before brandishing a gun and firing a bullet at the creature. The creature had already begun to move out of the way, but it was too late. He heard the creature shriek in pain, before bounding away. Calvin couldn't see it very well, but just as it rushed away, it dashed underneath a street light. And that was when Calvin saw a shade of brown, or red, before it disappeared into the shadows.

He then rushed out of his hiding place and sprinted towards Mr Carter, who was lying in a pool of his own blood. There were slash marks all over him, and he was bleeding profusely from a massive scratch running down his back. Calvin ignored the sticky blood and whipped out his handphone, while stripping off his own jacket to stop the bleeding on Mr Carter. Mr Carter was losing consciousness fast. Just before Mr Carter passed out, he managed to wheeze out to Calvin, "Why do you never do what you're bloody told to do?" Calvin ignored that continued to stem the blood flow while dialing 911. He wasted no time after the police picked up the phone. "Hello,we have an emergency on 36 Barrow Street. A man is losing blood fast and has passed out. We need an ambulance right away." Tossing his phone aside after the call ended, he focussed on Mr Carter's injuries. "Come on Mr Carter, hold on a while more. Don't die on me. They'll be here soon. Just hold on." He didn't care whether Mr Carter could hear him or not. He seemed to be consoling himself more than Mr Carter.

As every second passed, Mr Carter's life continued to slip away in Calvin's arms.

**There we have it! Chapter 2! Sadly, I will not be writing for another 2 weeks as I'll be very busy during this period. However, please continue to review my 2 chapters so far and feel free to add suggestions if you need to. I promise you, after this 2 weeks, I'll be back to update the story. Thank you to all those who have reviewed my story so far. You have my deepest gratitude. To all readers, fly you high!**


	3. Chapter 3: Decision

**Surprise! I was able to squeeze out a little more time for the third chapter today. Now, in all seriousness, I will not be able to write another chapter for the next 2 weeks, which is a real pity, since we were going to see Calvin in the Underland for the first time in the next chapter. Once again, my thanks goes out to my faithful reviewer Gregortheunderlander1918! **

**However, I really would like to receive more reviews, as I have only seen 4 so far despite having over 70 views. Hopefully more will come by. Even if you are a guest, I beg of you- Please review my work! It shouldn't take more than one minute, and it goes a long way for me whether it is a negative or positive review. So please review my work. Thank you all!**

**Chapter 3: Decision**

Calvin waited patiently in the hospital waiting area, reflecting on the whole situation so far. He had told the cops what he had seen, and they hadn't believed a word he'd said. They told him to go home and rest, saying that his judgement was affected by the traumatic situation. They claimed that Mr Carter had been knifed by a number of gang members, and the doctors at the scene had confirmed. They claimed that the so-called "monster eight feet tall" did not exist, and that all would soon make sense in Calvin's mind after he had calmed down.

_What a load of bullshit_, Calvin thought to himself.

He knew what he had seen; he had seen a eight foot tall beast, with the ability to talk and to smell him and his feelings. The beast had just mauled the most proficient fighter Calvin had known, and was still very much alive. There was no way Calvin was going to change his mind on the situation.

He paced up and down the waiting area, impatiently waiting for news on his teacher. He checked his watch anxiously. It was still only 9.30pm, far from the time stipulated by Mr Carter. He continued to pace around restlessly, frustration boiling up within him. Then the words of the creature echo in his head, and he felt himself gripped with fear. "I can smell your fear and anguish," the creature said. How was it possible? How could you smell feelings? Calvin just shook his head and continued waiting. He was waiting, and waiting, and waiting… soon he felt himself starting to drift off… he felt so tired.

In his dream, he found himself in the company of 2 people. One was a frail woman, who seemed to have translucent skin. Damn, Calvin could see parts of her anatomy in her head! The other was a massive, jet-black bat, easily the size of a large car, or maybe even bigger. The frail woman stared at him for a while. Calvin found himself feeling rather comfortable. Those violet eyes of her were really unnerving. "_Why am I here?_" he asked, his voice sounding distant and far away.

The creepy woman with the weird face smiled at him. " _I know who you are Calvin Oberton. It is your destiny to come to the Overland. My name is Nerissa. At the moment, my physical body is very ill, but my mind is as healthy as ever. That is why I am able to converse with you,"_ her voice sounded just as distant and far away, "_I have forseen your future. You are destined to join us in the Underland. Just as your father sought to protect us, so shall you." _

Calvin frowned. "_I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking ab…" _he trailed off as realization dawned upon him, "_wait, you've met my father?_"

The woman named Nerissa nodded sadly. "_Indeed I have. I know you have no idea what we are talking about. I know you are confused about the situation and your judgement is clouded with anger at your current predicament. Do not fear, soon you will understand. Ah, where are my manners, I forgot to introduce you to Ares. Calvin the Overlander, meet you Ares the Flier._"

The large bat nodded his head politely. "_Greetings, Overlander. It is a pleasure to meet you._" Nerissa then continued, "_Ares is dead in his physical form, but his soul continues to live on where I can see it._"

Calvin shook his head, confused by the weird woman's formal use of speech, the massive bat called Ares who was apparently dead, and terms he had never heard of before. "_What did you call me? Overlander was it? Why am I called Overlander? My surname is Oberton, not Overlander._" The bat burst into a noise that sounded like "_hur hur hur_". Calvin soon realized he was laughing.

"_What's so funny, Ares?"_ he snarled at the bat.

Nerissa shot him another sad smile. "_Forgive us, Overlander. There are many things you have yet to understand, and your insatiable hunger to find out the truth fuels your emotions. You will have to trust us for now." _

Suddenly, Calvin's world rocked, and his vision blurred slightly. Nerissa's smiled disappeared quickly, and was replaced with a frown. "_Overlander, it is time for you to leave. When you wake up, you will forget this dream. However, know that there will be people watching out for you, and that your answers will be answered soon…" _her voice began to trail off.

Slowly but surely, the figures of Nerissa and Ares began to disappear. Calvin began to panic as he felt himself losing control of his body. "_Wait…" _he called out, with darkness beginning to engulf him, "_wait…"_

"Mr Oberton, wake up. We have news about your teacher," a gentle voice said to him.

Calvin opened his eyes and looked up into the sad eyes of the doctor. "No," Calvin said, sitting up in alarm, "don't tell me he's gone."

The doctor smiled at him. "On the contrary," she said, "I was going to tell you he lives."

At the mention of Mr Carter's survival, Calvin instantly got up and hugged the doctor. The doctor, stiffened slightly, before relaxing and hugging him back. "Thank you," Calvin murmured.

The doctor let go of him, and nodded, replying, "You're welcome, Mr Oberton. However, it is my duty to inform you that while Mr Carter will survive, he has suffered from severe blood loss, and will not fully recover for the next few weeks. His injuries sustained are bad as well. I cannot assure you that he will be the same man after he recovers."

Calvin nodded grimly. He wasn't too disappointed though. He hadn't even expected Mr Carter to survive. He turned to view his surroundings. Mr Bennett was present, with a look of pure relief on his face. A girl… wait, what was Samantha doing here?

Samantha walked up to him and gave him a hug. He patted her back a few times, feeling uncomfortable from the whole situation. Samantha was one of those girls in school chasing him, and he wasn't impressed at all by her obvious flirting with him on a daily basis. However, she seemed genuinely sorry for him right now, so he decided to let it slide.

She whispered into his ear, "I saw you following your tutor to the hospital. I just decided to visit you to see how you're doing." She then buried her face into his chest. Calvin found Mr Bennett staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Calvin just pointed at her and rolled his eyes, causing Mr Bennett to chuckle a bit. He knew he didn't have to explain himself. Mr Bennett already knew the hordes of girls in his school that chased him, both for his money and his looks.

Calvin then noticed the doctor watching him and Samantha. He broke free from the hug, blushing slightly, and stood to one side awkwardly. Samantha waved goodbye to him and left the hospital. The doctor then walked up to him and nudged him slightly. "You have a pretty girlfriend," she said briefly, before walking back into the operation room.

Calvin sighed exasperatedly. "She's not my girlfriend!" he called out to the doctor. The doctor just turned around and winked at him, before entering the room.

After waiting around another hour, the doctor returned and advised Mr Bennett and him to return home and rest. She assured him that Mr Carter was safe in their hands, and wouldn't leave him unattended. With that, Calvin and Mr Bennett reluctantly left the waiting room.

As Mr Bennett drove Calvin home in a Mercedes Benz S65, he refused to answer any of Calvin's questions. He just quietly drove on. Calvin gave up trying to ask questions in the end, and headed to his room the moment he placed a foot in his house. He took a quick shower before collapsing his bed. He was dead tired, but his eyes refused to close. He had already slept in the waiting room. He suddenly remembered dreaming about something… what was it, it was important… Calvin just couldn't remember anything from the dream. He forced himself to recall the dream. he didn't know why he was trying so hard, but he remembered because it was something important. A shade of black... a shade of violet… something translucent… that was all he could remember. These details didn't even trigger any memories in his head. He kept forcing himself to think harder, but no matter how hard he tried, the memories of that dream evaded him. But that was when he remembered Mr Carter's words.

"_But remember, whether I am alive or dead, as long as I am not home by 11pm tonight, you must open that envelope._"

Mr Carter's voice rang throughout his ears with those words. Calvin immediately went to check the time. 10.55pm. Five minutes more. Calvin weighed the options in his head. Should he still open the envelope? After all, Mr Carter was alive. He had probably only told Calvin to open the envelope because he was expecting to die in the battle with that , he had told Calvin to open the envelope by 11pm no matter what happened. Calvin shook his head in frustration. Then, Mr Carter's voice rang throughout his head once more.

"_the secrets that lead to those answers lie there."_

That sentence was all Calvin needed to hear in order to make his decision. He checked the time again. 11.01pm. He had taken a full five minutes deliberating over such a difficult decision. With adrenaline beginning to course through his veins, he jumped to his feet and rushed towards the study.

Calvin opened the door gingerly and stepped into the room. He didn't want Mr Bennett to find out what he was doing. He might stop Calvin from carrying out his "mission". Calvin picked up the envelope. On the outside, it seemed absolutely inconspicuous, as if it were another one of his father's envelopes. But, apart from that, why did his father not find a way to protect it from prying eyes? Shaking his head, Calvin opened up the envelope and peered inside. He found a small, crumpled strip of paper.

Unravelling it, he began to read. It read: " 789 ecso 63he 4 di t". Calvin frowned, trying to make sense of it. He stared at the paper, turned it upside down, glanced at it in a mirror, and kept trying to make sense of it. Then Mr Carter's voice returned again.

"_You're a smart boy, Calvin. When you are breaking a code, trust your instincts. You have a natural flair for solving puzzles."_

So Calvin trusted his instincts. He let his mind and senses take over, using his mind to unscramble the sentence. Within minutes, he had unscrambled it. He stared triumphantly at his piece of re-written work on a piece of rough paper. The message read, "The code is 789634."

Grinning proudly, he then inputted the code into the automated lock on the wooden box. The lock flashed red, and a robot voice croaked out, "_Access denied. You have 2 out of 100 tries left."_

Calvin eyebrows instantly furrowed. People had evidently attempted to break into his father's box using that strip of paper. And they had failed. But that wasn't what worried him. He only had two tries left to break a code that could have any number of digits inputted. He couldn't even tell if it was a 6 digit code or not? His father must have left a hint as to what the password was. He tried reversing the code, but the robot voice croaked out once more, "_Access denied. You have 1 out of 100 tries left._" Calvin sighed in frustration. So that was why Calvin's father hadn't bothered concealing the envelope. Who in this world could guess the code? He sat back, growling furiously. He felt hope slipping away from him. Why did Mr Carter think he could guess the code?

That was when Mr Carter's voice entered his head, repeating the same line as before.

"_You're a smart boy, Calvin. When you are breaking a code, trust your instincts. You have a natural flair for solving puzzles."_

Calvin then let his instinct take over. His eyes scanned the piece of paper for any hints. That was when his own voice in his head whispered to him,"Who said it had to be a 6 digit code?" With renewed hope, Calvin analyzed the original message once more. And that was when his mind clicked. He noticed that the digits "789" were grouped together, the "63" was grouped together and the number 4 was all alone. His mind went to work. "Could it be…" he mumbled aloud. He had to take the risk. There really was no choice. His hypothesis was that the code was the number of digits of each section of numbers in the original message descending order. That would make the code…

"3-2-1,"he breathed aloud. It didn't seem to make sense to him, yet it did at the same time. It was incredibly far-fetched, but if Calvin trusted his gut like how Mr Carter told him to, then that was the code he was going to input. He needed to trust himself. Taking in a deep breath, he jabbed the numbers into the system. Calvin held his breath. He honestly didn't dare to breathe. The machine whirred for a while, and then the box unlocked itself.

Calvin let out a huge sigh of relief. He opened the box, and found a gleaming gold key in it. Mr Carter was right. He needed to trust his gut more. He quickly made his way up to his father's room. He stared around the whole room. This was a historic moment for Calvin. This was a milestone in his life. This was where his future would be decided. Here in his father's room.

He slotted the key into the lock of his father's safe. Taking in yet another deep breath, Calvin opened the safe. Inside the safe weren't many contents. In fact, there was only one thing, and it was a small, dirty and clearly weathered book. Calvin frowned. This was far from what he was expecting. All the secrets kept by his father in this small, filthy book? Calvin could scarcely believe what he was seeing. He was expecting much, much more. With technology developing these days, his father could have left him with a recorder or a hologram, but what was he left with? A crappy book.

Sighing disappointedly, Calvin picked up the book. The title of it was "Journal Entries of life in Underland." Calvin's curiosity suddenly piqued. He began to flip through the book, which had a grand total of a 150 pages. He was fascinated by the details of rat anatomies, insect behaviour, and so much more his father had recorded. Then he flipped to page 112. On it were scribbled the big words: "FOR MY SON CALVIN."

Calvin began to read the next page. It started off with a short note, or letter-of-sorts:

_My dear son Calvin,_

_If you are reading this, then you probably know I am dead. In fact, I am sure you know I am dead. Mr Carter is probably dead too, if you are reading this. You have had so many secrets in your life. You're probably wondering how I was killed, why Mr Carter teaches you how to use a sword, why the function of the rat anatomy is so important, etc. In fact, seeing as you are an inquisitive boy, you've probably read Vikus' letter to me, and you're probably wondering who is Vikus and who is Ripred? Most importantly, you're probably wondering why I died and who killed me._

_As you're reading this, I can tell you that you're running out of time. So I'll get straight to the point. However, before I continue, you must know that what you are going to read next is the absolute truth. And I am not lying about whatever I'm telling you next._

_There is a world that exists below ours that contains wonders you cannot even begin to imagine. It is called the Underland. It is home to humans, not quite like us. They were led here hundreds of years ago, and although their human body functions are the same as ours, you will soon find out that their appearance is different from ours. For example, you can see large parts of their circulatory system if you examine them closely. This land is protected by a queen, and if I am not wrong, Vikus is her grandfather. Incase you have forgotten, Vikus was the one who wrote that message to me._

_The Underland is not just home to humans though. It is home to rats, cockroaches, bats and even moles. However, these aren't the normal animals you see in New York City. These are titanic creatures, easily 20 times their size at least. Some of these animals are good, others are evil. Some are monstrosities that come from God knows where. There are some you can trust. For example, you can trust Ripred. He's a rat, and he's rather mean at times, but I trust him a lot._

_I found out about this land when I was approached for funding by a team called Operation Claw. They intend to enter the Underland and exterminate whole species of animals while experimenting on them. My conscience told me I couldn't allow it. I accessed their classified information and made my way to the Underland to warn their inhabitants of the coming threat. While Operation Claw would stay in the dark for most of the coming decade, I had to prepare the inhabitants of the Underland. _

_That was how my death came about. Although Operation Claw never found out that I had warned the inhabitants of the Underland, they discovered that I had planned to do so. Hence, while I'm writing this for you, they have already dispatched assassins to kill me. _

_This is where you will come in. While I am dead, I still have hope for the innocent creatures you can protect in the Underland. While I am not sure how, some trusted soothsayers in the Underland have predicted that you will play an important role in saving it and its inhabitants. In the end, we really don't know what you will do, but it is my wish to see you serve it. The directions to the Underland are in the next legae._

_My son, I understand that you may feel upset about my decision to save an Underland that doesn't owe us anything. While that seems true, I have never felt more self-satisfied than helping these people. I firmly believe that this was my duty- to save these innocent creatures from the clutches of Operation Claw. While I have not seen my mission completed, I hope that you will complete it for me. Even though the Underland appears to be a dark and scary place full of threats and challenges, it is only through surviving the darkest of nights then you are able to see the brightest of dawns._

_I am sorry for placing this burden on you. In the end, it is your decision as to whether you choose to save the Underland or not. No matter what happens, know that I will always love you, even if death separates me from you._

_Our legacy is immortal._

_Love,_

_Your father_

Calvin just couldn't bring himself to turn the page. He felt astounded by what he had just read. If what his father wrote was true, then that would explain many things. The creature in his house, the monster that killed Mr Carter… yet Calvin still struggled to believe it all. Once again, he was faced with a difficult decision. Should he proceed any further. He was wading into dangerous waters. Somehow, he knew that once he went down this route, there was no turning back. This was a life decision.

"It's all true, you know," came a weary voice from behind Calvin, "I've seen it myself."

Calvin turned around to see Mr Bennett standing behind him. "You saw all this?" Calvin asked, gesturing at the letter his father wrote to him.

Mr Bennett nodded, before adding, "It's your choice though. You can choose to turn your back on this kind of life. You've learned all the answers to the secrets that was concealed from you. What do you want to do?"

In all honesty, Calvin didn't want to help out the Underland. Protecting the Underland could lead to the end of his life, just like his father. He didn't owe any allegiance to the Underland. Hell, he didn't even know the Underland existed until a few seconds ago!

And then Calvin realised the consequences of his actions. He thought of all the innocent creatures killed by Operation Claw. He thought of the guilt of having given up on the lives of these innocent creatures, on not being the great man his father was. Worst of all, if he didn't protect the Underland, his father's death would be in his vain. His father had died with a glimmer of hope. And Calvin didn't intend on destroying that hope.

In that instant, Calvin knew what his decision would be.

"I'm going to the Underland, even if it costs me my life."

**That concludes it for Chapter 3! So I'll be away for 2 weeks, but I'll be back to update the chapters, and I hope I don't disappoint!**

**Please remember to review my story. It is very very important to me! Trust me, it means a lot to me, and I would like to kindly ask for a minute of your time to post a review! Thank you! And fly you high!**


	4. Chapter 4: Falling

**I'm back! Sorry for taking almost 3 weeks! Honestly, I'm kinda disappointed by the lack of reviews my story is getting. Once again, I would like to thank my faithful reviewer Gregortheunderlander1918. Maybe I'm not writing well enough, or my story is a bit too slow-paced. Maybe, y'all wanna see Gregor in action, and not a new fictional character. I don't know what the reason is, but even if you DO have something bad to say about my story, I would like you to say it, because then I can improve as a writer. For now, I'm just asking all my faithful readers out there to give me a chance with this story. Nevertheless, I ain't giving up yet, so ladies and gentlemen, here is Chapter 4. Please remember to spend maybe a minute writing my story. It really encourages me to continue writing, because it means that people actually give a sh*t about my story.(I apologise for the expletive.) Anyway, this chapter may appear quite boring, but there is better to come.**

**Chapter 4: Falling**

In those few minutes after Calvin had made his decision, a flurry of thoughts entered his mind, as he pondered on the consequences of his actions.

He sat down on his sofa, and recalled the significant milestones in his life so far. He was born on December 6, 1999. His father was Richard Oberton and his mother was Cecilia Myles. He was the only child in the family. His father had initially become rich through his shipping business, but became richer through his other businesses in departments Calvin hadn't even heard of. His mother came from a wealthy family as well, but became a housewife after his father's business began to flourish. Calvin grew up in a comfortable and happy environment for the first half of his life, living the luxurious lifestyle. However, he was taught never to take anything for granted, most certainly not his wealth. He was given a good education, and grew close to his caretaker, Mr Jareth Bennett.

He was also close to his father's friend, Mr Melvin Carter. Mr Carter often came over to their mansion for tea on a Sunday afternoon, and generally spent a lot of time with the family when he could. According to his father, Mr Carter was a lonely man, and when he did not have a purpose in life, he would go to the bar to get drunk. Calvin had heard horrible stories of what had happened when Mr Carter had a pint too much, but he didn't mind. When Mr Carter was sober, which he generally was, he was an awesome mentor.

But his life began to change. For the worse, after travelling to Liberia for an educational experience with his parents, his mother contracted a disease that doctors then knew very little about. His mother suffered external and internal bleeding, as her organs began to deteriorate, and she began to lose blood. Calvin and his father could not do anything to help Cecilia. Hell, all they could do was stand on the sidelines and watch his mother die. The doctors tried to help her, but the cold, hard reality was that there was no known cure for that disease. The disease was called Ebola.

These days, whenever people in his school made fun of the disease, he would not hesitate to get into a fight with them. Those assholes knew absolutely nothing about how it felt to watch your loved ones suffer from a disease like that. And he hated them for that.

Then his father began to engage in some funny business, where he was frequently away from home. At first, Calvin thought his dad was going out with some new woman, and that was why he often left for days and did not return home. Calvin originally despised him for that. How could he betray his wife? But Calvin realized there was something extremely important that his father was doing. At that time, he didn't know what it was, but now he knew. His dad had been going to the Underland. And it had cost him his life.

Calvin didn't know whether to despise his father for giving his life away for a population he owed nothing to. It had left Calvin with an immeasurable amount of pain and a mountain of problems to handle. In his father's will, Calvin would practically inherit everything his father had at the age of 18. That included his father's businesses.

Calvin had no idea how he was supposed to live up to the legacy his father had made for the family. Hell he had no idea on how to help the Underland! What on earth did his father expect him to do?

Then there was the issue of explaining to his school and the people around him. What happened if he died in that rotten hole beneath the earth? What happened if he never returned to his city? What would people say about him? And if he did return, how would he explain his absence?

Calvin shook his head in frustration. There were too many thoughts swarming his head. He really needed to clear his mind. The memories of his past were hitting him hard and fast. He slumped into the sofa even more. An emotion that felt like depression struck him. Calvin felt himself beginning to lose a grip of himself and his surroundings. He shook his head even more. And that was when that horrible laugh began to echo through his mind. The laugh that came from the creature that attacked Mr Carter. And that laugh seemed to mock Calvin, as the words of the creature reverberated through Calvin's head.

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

A hand rested on his shoulder. "Calvin." A voice came from behind Calvin, and Calvin leapt up in shock. However, it was just Mr Bennett, holding out his father's journal to him. Calvin shuddered slightly, remembering the creature's voice, before nodding and accepting the journal. He opened the book to page 113 and began to read it.

_Dear Calvin,_

_If you have decided to help the Underland, then read my next few words carefully. It will determine whether you survive or not on your way down._

_There are five entrances to the Underland. Only two of which I know. Believe it or not, one is in our home, and another is in Central Park. _

_A few years ago, in my bid to become more of a philanthropist, I bought the land of an apartment building, while providing property at the same time for those who I was buying the land from. I built our current mansion on this piece of land. I had no idea that this mansion I bought was built over the entrance to the Underland. Apparently, Operation Claw knew this, because they sent people asking me to grant access to the Underland. I hid the entrance away from them, but I will tell you where it is now. However, you must promise that you will burn this book after you have reached the Underland. If i falls into the wrong hands, then the Underland is doomed, and so are you._

_I realised that when I rebuilt the apartment, the old shaft which leads to the Underland was broken, so I built a new one. It lies one floor beneath the basement, and nobody knows about it. There is a secret door opening up to the stairs which lead you to that basement. That door requires a password. You know the password(hopefully). Once there, you will be able to see the shaft. It is painted gold and is frankly, quite easy to spot. Enter the shaft(don't forget to bring Mr Bennett with you. You will need his guidance.), and follow the next few instructions VERY CAREFULLY. _

_Once you fall through the shaft, you will feel as if you are falling through empty space. Please do not panic. If you do, things could get really ugly. You will find wisps of vapour swirling around you. These wisps of vapour are like currents,just relax and let yourself fall. Soon, the wisps of vapour will thicken into a dense, white mist. You will be falling very, very fast. Once again, do not panic. You might jeopardize your entire journey. Essentially, you are falling down a large, dark tube. But do not search for a handhold down this tube. I assure you, you are completely safe. Once you are close to the ground, the currents will start to dissipate, and you will slow down. Once again, do not worry, because you will land safely. The landing will not be more than a slight thud or thump on the ground. You will find a small light shining from a crevice. The crevice is quite wide, since it is no longer occupied by cockroaches. You and Mr Bennett should be able to move past it quite easily. You might or might not find an escort there to bring you to Regalia. If you don't, then just follow the trail. It might take a long time, but you will get to Regalia eventually._

_If you don't like this path, you can still go to Central Park, but seeing as it is newly renovated with new additions to the park, it might be a bit of a problem to find the stone which leads you to the Underland without being seen._

_And if you feel this is too much for you, then don't do it. Many courageous men would not take such a trip. I will not hold it against you if you choose not to go._

_Our legacy is immortal._

_With love,_

_your Father_

_P.S. Do remember to bring a torch light._

Whether Calvin was going or not was really a no-brainer. He was convinced that he had to go, and nothing was going to change his mind. Not even the daunting trip to the Underland was going to throw him off his path. He calmly slotted the journal into his bag and slung the bag over his shoulder.

Mr Bennett waited for him at the basement, torchlight in one hand, a small pistol Calvin couldn't recognise in the other. "Ready?" he asked.

Calvin nodded, and walked towards the door. He quickly input the numbers "3-2-1" into the machine, and the door automatically unlocked itself with a slight click. Calvin and Mr Bennett then pushed hard against the heavy door, clearly designed to survive explosions and gunfire. The lights lit up automatically, illuminating the stairs leading down to the next floor. After carefully closing and re-locking the door behind them, they made their way down the stairs quickly but quietly.

Upon arriving at the bottom, they found themselves in a large, empty room coloured white, except for a small portion of a wall, which was a dazzling gold. His father was right. The shaft was easy to spot.

Inhaling deeply, Calvin made his way over to the shaft, and Mr Bennett quickly hurried over. "Are you sure about this?" his caretaker asked.

Calvin nodded wordlessly again. He then opened up the shaft. Calvin could feel his heart hammering against the front of his chest. This was it. The defining moment in Calvin's life. He didn't waste any more time pondering over his decision. Taking a deep breath, he hurled himself down the shaft.

The sensation of falling hit Calvin hard. He had never felt this kind of feeling before. It felt almost like...oblivion. His stomach churned slightly, his heart thumped harder than ever, and he felt truckloads of sweat rolling down his body, but he refused to let himself panic. He attempted to maintain calm as he hurtled down the shaft at breakneck speed.

Slowly but surely though, he began to regain his senses, and he was soon vaguely aware of Mr Bennett falling behind him, looking absolutely as calm as ever. Of course, Calvin was aware of the currents surrounding him, as he felt the white mist encircling his body.

After a while of remaining calm, Calvin began to feel his heartbeat rising. The fall felt like an absolute eternity! He began to speculate wildly. What if he had fallen down the wrong hole? What if the darkness was trapping him? What happened if he had actually fallen down the throat of a large monster?

He was brought back to reality with a resounding jolt through his body, as he landed with a hard thump on solid ground. A few seconds later, he heard Mr Bennett land beside him. Mr Bennett broke out into a fit of coughing. Calvin crawled over to him. "Mr Bennett, are you alright?" he asked the older man, who was in his 50s.

Mr Bennett coughed slightly once more, before replying, "I'm fine, Calvin. I'm just not used to the amount of dust in this place."

Calvin intensified his torchlight, casting more light on the whole area. It appeared to be a large cavern, containing stalactites and all other kinds of rocks. Calvin didn't bother trying to recognize them. Hauling Mr Bennett to his feet, he scanned the area for any sign of an organism's life. He couldn't find any.

"Doesn't seem like there is an escort here," he informed Mr Bennett.

Mr Bennett nodded curtly. "Seems like we have to follow the path, Calvin," he said simply.

Calvin then took off down a small winding path away from the cavern. The path led them into a tunnel, where Calvin began to hear the first forms of life. He heard something small scuttling across the floor, and he even heard what he thought was whispering. However, wherever he flashed his light, an empty space greeted his eyes. He knew what he had heard though. This place was bursting with life, and Calvin didn't need his father's journal to know that.

After walking through the tunnels for what seemed like an eternity once more, he stepped out into a clearing, which branched out towards three different tunnels. Calvin and Mr Bennett halted abruptly, and gawked at the three tunnels.

"I'm stumped," Calvin admitted, "I have no bloody idea which tunnel to choose."

Mr Bennett shook his head as well, mumbling, "It always has to be 3 tunnels."

Calvin suddenly realized that his father hadn't specified what Regalia would look like. How would he know when he was there or not? Calvin sighed, before indicating towards the left tunnel. "I've got a good feeling about that one," he told Mr Bennett.

Mr Bennett only shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," he responded.

Calvin headed down the tunnel quickly, taking out his knife and making marks every 5 metres they walked down the tunnel. That way, if they needed to backtrack, they knew where they were going. The tunnel continued to lead them through all kinds of twists and turns, and smelled at absolutely horrible. It smelled like rotting flesh and… Calvin couldn't find another word to explain the terrible stench. At one point, Calvin spotted blood stains on the floor. He stopped and leaned in to take a better look at the stain. It seemed to be fresh, and was still sticky. Calvin made a face and backed off slightly. "I don't recognise this kind of blood. It's red but not quite like that of a human," he told Mr Bennett.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Mr Bennett called out from behind him. Calvin whirled around and found Mr Bennett pointing the light from his torch at a human skeleton. Calvin jerked backwards in surprise slightly, before recovering his composure. That blood isn't from this human. The skeleton is at least a month old, but the blood can't be more than a day old," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Let's head back. I think we went down the wrong tunnel," he said to Mr Bennett, desperate to get away from the bloodshed. He didn't have a very good first impression of the Underland. The tunnels were tight, damp and dark, and he felt quite sick from the sight of a dead body and fresh blood.

They moved back to the clearing, where Calvin decided to take the tunnel on the right. The middle tunnel was rather creepy, with its narrow width and constant howling sounds coming from within it. Calvin figured that the route to Regalia must be the most inviting of all the 3 routes possible. He made his way down the tunnel, walking at a comfortable pace. Soon, he saw a slight clearing ahead of him, perhaps about a couple of hundred yards away. He started to move faster, and he began to grow excited! This was it! Their perilous journey had ended!

Within a minute and a half, they emerged into an enormous clearing, dwarfing the cavern they had landed in earlier. Calvin could see for miles and miles in all directions. He saw crevices and small hills of rock, and he saw a river rushing near by. Despite being amazed by his surroundings, he couldn't help but wonder aloud, "THIS is the city of Regalia?"

Then he heard numerous voices beginning to chuckle. "No, it isn't, Overlander. But once we have taken the city, then we can show it to you," someone said snidely.

Calvin spun around and flashed his light at the sound of the voice. The light landed on a dozen creatures, fur all reddish-brown. Their eyes were an emerald green, and they all had razor sharp claws and teeth. On their haunches, they must have been about close to 8 feet tall. Calvin had no doubt who these creatures were. They were massive foxes.

Calvin couldn't help but stare at the largest brute. He must have been well over eight feet, and though his fur seemed a bit mangled, he still looked incredibly imposing.

The fox grinned at him hungrily.

"Welcome to the Underland, Calvin the Overlander."

**So this is it. I know this chapter may appear quite dull, but my ideas are bursting to life in the next few chapters. Once again, I'm begging you guys who read my stories to please review my work. And I would like to apologize once more for my "late submission."**

**Fly you high!**

**P.S. Be sure to contribute names for the foxes if you want to! Their names are generally Ancient Roman based(names like Brutus), so go ahead and suggest a name and it might be added to the story.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Scarred Rat

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Remember to review the story if possible. Even a short review would be welcome! Here goes Chapter 5. And the slight lull in my story is over! It's time for some action! Thank you to Witwickety and Gregortheunderlander1918 for your reviews! And to all other guests who have reviewed as well!**

**Chapter 5: The Scarred Rat**

Calvin gulped nervously. The fox licked his lips intimidatingly and began to advance towards Calvin. Calvin and Mr Bennett instinctively took a step back, brandishing their knives. The fox's smile grew wider. "Why so scared, Overlander? We're here to help," he said with relish.

Calvin felt a lump growing in his throat. He needed to distract the fox, but how? He searched through his mind furiously for a topic of discussion. Maybe he could stall for time… or distract the fox in order to escape. He swallowed nervously again, before asking, "So where's Regalia again?"

The foxes all burst out into laughter. The main fox, still guffawing away, answered, "I told you boy! We will show you after the city is ours! Oh, where are our manners? My name is Brutus, high general of Flavius. And you are… oh yes, I know your name. Your name is Calvin Oberton. And the old fool next to you is your caretaker."

Calvin felt his heart slamming harder than ever before against his chest. His sweaty hands began to lose a grip on his knife. He turned to Mr Bennett. He was absolutely frozen with fear, staring at Brutus with his mouth agape. Calvin then turned back to Brutus. "It was you," he said, feeling contempt in his voice, "you attacked Mr Carter in that alley."

The fox seemed to be taken aback with genuine surprise. "That was not me. That was our leader, Flavius. But he didn't tell me you were there." Brutus seemed a little bit irritated for a while but shrugged it off quickly. "Nevertheless, here we are. You can choose to cooperate with us, and follow us back to Flavius. Or you can choose to be my first meal in a few days," Brutus snarled maliciously.

Calvin noticed the more foxes appearing behind Brutus, and they began to file down Calvin's left and right hand side. They were essentially blocking off an escape for him. So much for trying to distract Brutus. He decided to just shut up, but curiosity got the better of his discipline, and he asked Brutus, "Why do you want to capture me? Why do you need me?"

Brutus' casual demeanour earlier was quickly replaced by a serious tone. "Because we will lose the war if you fall into the hands of our enemies. The Regalians and their allies will use you as a weapon against us. We can't have that. And we're not like them. We don't use people as weapons. That's just too cruel."

Calvin could not control his tongue. He lashed out at Brutus, "If you guys aren't cruel, then why don't you let me make my own decisions instead of threatening me, you bitch?"

He almost regretted his decision immediately. Brutus' smile turned into a malicious snarl, and his eyes narrowed in fury. "I suggest you choose your next few words carefully boy, for they may be the last to come from your mouth. Flavius has ordered me not to kill you, but he never specified whether I can harm you or not."

At that instant, Calvin heard a low growl coming from the end of the tunnel he had come from. He spun around to see a shadow pacing forward steadily. Suddenly, the shadow burst into a sprint, and exploded out from the end of the tunnel.

At first, all Calvin saw was a blurred grey mass emerge. But as the figure continued to advance and sprint forward, Calvin was able to catch some details about the creature. Two criss-crossing scars across the face. Razor sharp teeth. Bloodshot eyes, full of deadliness. Muscular limbs. A long, twitchy tail. Whiskers. Elongated snout. The creature must have been about 6 feet long. Calvin soon realized what he was looking at.

That creature was the largest rat Calvin had ever seen in his life.

And it was running straight at him.

The rat bared its teeth into ferocious snarl, as he closed in on Calvin's position. Calvin stumbled backwards, and opened his mouth to scream as he felt pure fear grip his heart. The rat took one look at Calvin's expression, and seemingly rolled his eyes. A look that resembled disgust crossed the rat's face as he leapt.

Straight at Calvin.

Calvin couldn't control his voice anymore. He closed his eyes and screamed at a pitch higher than ever before. He felt a wave of air brush past him, and he squeezed his eyes shut even more. When he opened his eyes, the rat was standing in front of him, facing Brutus. Calvin saw everybody, including Mr Bennett wincing, probably from his scream. He coughed sheepishly and turned to observe the rat. The rat was standing in between him and Brutus. It seemed as if the rat was… trying to protect him.

Brutus' cruel grin earlier was replaced with a wry smile. "Lord Ripred," he breathed, "we meet at last. What an honour."

Calvin suddenly realised who the rat was. "You're Ripred? My father spoke highly of you," Calvin told Ripred.

The scarred rat only nodded slowly. "Most people speak highly of me," was all he said to Calvin, before turning back to Brutus.

Calvin frowned. This Ripred character seemed quite arrogant. And Calvin despised arrogant people… or in Ripred's case… arrogant creatures.

Ripred eyed Brutus, before speaking. "You must be Flavius' high general Brutus. Your majesty makes some interesting calls on who becomes general. He seems to think old and slow fighters fit the job description," Ripred taunted, while smiling evilly.

Brutus only returned the smile. "So this is how we start off?" Brutus asked, "mocking each other in our first meeting?"

Ripred shrugged. "Would you rather start fighting already? I'd rather not. I like to talk about myself for a while. The usual, you know… my stupid duties in Regalia, and the number of animals I killed this past month… which reminds me, I haven't killed anyone for the past 2 years. But I feel that may change soon," Ripred answered coolly.

When Brutus did not respond, Ripred continued. "You know, for a group of animals named Schemers for their intelligence, you seem to like being controlled by your master."

Brutus snarled angrily at Ripred. "You would like to test my patience, Lord Ripred? It would not be very wise."

A grin crept back onto Ripred's face. "On the contrary, I think it is."

Brutus ignored that comment, growling back, "Our master is the deadliest of us all. As you know, not only is he the most intelligent of us all, but he is also a rager. You know all about that, don't you Lord Ripred."

Ripred snarled in return. "If you're master is a rager, why won't he come and fight us?" the rat spat back at Brutus. It was Brutus' turn to smile. "That is because no one knows if you are the only rager in the enemy's midst. Remember the last rager you knew? The warrior?" Calvin saw Ripred stiffen.

Brutus began to chuckle. Man, these foxes loved to chuckle. Then Brutus began to speak again. "You still have a soft spot for the dead warrior, am I not right? I hear he was your best student. I hear the rumours, that once he was gone, you attacked the training ground dummies more ferociously than ever. I hear the rumours that till today, you continue to make references to the warrior when training your soldiers. I hear that you never say his name again, out of fear of the pain. Like the pain when you lost your mate and your pups. I know you never let that situation go. The dead warrior. You actually miss him." Calvin noticed Ripred's muscles tensing.

Brutus continued when Ripred didn't answer. "How about the queen? I heard she took it harder than you. Locked herself in her room for days. They speak of her insomnia. Her self-starvation. Her rare public appearances. I hear she cries his name out loud every night. Oh, and I've heard she refuses to bed her husband out of memory of him. The warrior. What an impact he has left on all of you. What a legacy he has left on Regalia," Brutus drawled.

Calvin had no idea what Brutus was talking about, but it was angering Ripred.

"Say his name," Brutus whispered, "I want you to say his damn _name._"

Ripred refused to speak. He was trembling in fury. Brutus whispered again. "Say his name."

Once again, Ripred held his tongue. Brutus began to speak louder. "Say it. SAY IT!" Brutus yelled.

"SHUT UP!" roared Ripred, and readied himself to leap at Brutus, who was smiling from to ear to ear. The other foxes all moved into a defensive crouching position. But Ripred never leapt.

He calmed himself down, and looked Brutus in the eye. "You baited me, schemer. You won the taunting battle," Ripred said, sounding weary.

Calvin suddenly blurted out, "They're called foxes."

Ripred looked at him in surprise. "What did you say?"

Calvin swallowed nervously, now saying more quietly, "They're called foxes, not schemers."

Ripred and Brutus just shook their heads. "These humans, especially the boy. He is such a pain in the arse," Brutus muttered shaking his head.

"Must I really save his life? This boy is always interrupting me," Ripred complained.

Brutus sighed, mumbling something that sounded like, "I feel your pain."

Ripred sighed as well. Then, turning to Calvin, he snarled, "Thank you for your input, Captain Obvious. But little boys should be seen and not heard," before turning back to face Brutus. Calvin was taken aback by surprise. Had Ripred just called him a little boy?

Brutus continued the conversation. "Despite how brave it must be, you must admit that coming to save the boy on your own is a futile mission."

Then, an arrogant smile reappeared back on Ripred's face. "Dear Brutus, who ever said I came on my own?" With that, he made a high-pitched squeak. About half a dozen rats came scampering down the tunnel, and they surrounded Calvin and Mr Bennett.

Brutus looked amused. "Your students?" he asked.

Ripred shrugged. "You could say that," he replied.

Brutus turned to his foxes for the first time since Calvin met him. "Kill them all. Including the boy and his caretaker. Flavius will have no need for his stupidity." With that, the foxes began to advance on the rats, Calvin and Mr Bennett.

Ripred hissed at them, and they flinched and reared backwards instinctively. Brutus growled. "I said KILL THEM ALL!" he roared.

Ripred only smiled. Then, the foxes leapt at them.

Ripred surprised all of them. He hurled himself at them, attacking them mid-air. He sliced through the air with his claws, drawing blood from at least 4 foxes, before dropping back to the ground. He retreated quickly back to his original position, slashing his way back into position. He stood a few feet in front of Calvin, before he began to spin.

Calvin had never seen anything like it. Ripred was moving so fast he only appeared as a blur of grey. Amongst that grey, Calvin could see spurts of blood flying all over the place, probably mostly coming from the foxes, as Ripred did not look injured at all. After about a minute of spinning, Ripred staggered backwards slightly. Taking in a deep breath, he growled, "I'm too old for this," before launching another attack at the onrushing foxes.

Once again, Ripred appeared to be in a league of his own. Despite the fact that he was facing at least 3 foxes at a time, and with all of them bigger than him, he was more than holding his own. Just when it seemed that a fox would land a blow, a claw would get in the way and block the strike, before countering with a slash of its own. Already, two foxes were lying mortally wounded on the ground, their underbellies slashed open.

Mesmerised by the battle scene, Calvin turned his attention to the other rats. They had formed a tight semicircle around him, mostly defending themselves from the foxes' attacks rather than striking back as Ripred was doing. One fox plowed his way through two rats and landed next to Calvin, but the two rats promptly recovered and clawed his face viciously, blinding him. The fox howled in pain as the rats quickly tore him to shreds, before returning their attention to the next wave.

Calvin just stared at the fox. The wave of brutality he had just witnessed hit him like a tidal wave. He suddenly felt incredibly sick. He then turned to face Mr Bennett, but Mr Bennett was no longer standing up. He was lying on the ground, clutching his heart. "Oh no," Calvin breathed aloud, before dropping to his knees and examining Mr Bennett. It was clear he was suffering from a heart attack.

"Ripred!" Calvin called out, "Mr Bennett is having a heart attack!"

Cursing under his breath, Ripred barked back at Calvin, "Hold on boy! Keep him alive for a little while more!"

Calvin had no idea what to do. He was not trained for dealing with heart attacks. He was absolutely clueless. Instead, he just began talking to Mr Bennett. "Hold on, Mr Bennett," he told his caretaker, "help is coming." His caretaker spasmed slightly, and Calvin started to become desperate. "DO SOMETHING!" he yelled at Ripred.

Grunting under the force of another attack, Ripred barked orders at his rat students, "Flyfur, get the caretaker out of here. Sixclaw, cover your sister's escape! And tell the reinforcements to double their pace! There are too many of them!" Both rats nodded, and after Sixclaw helped to put Mr Bennett on Flyfur, Flyfur took off like a bullet, evading the fox's attacks, while Sixclaw helped to defend her.

Sighing anxiously, Calvin turned to watch Ripred, who was now fending off six foxes at once. He ruthlessly tore the throat of one out, before using his teeth to tear the limb off another. His tail jabbed one fox in the eye, and then he launched himself forward, sinking his teeth into the fox's shoulder. A howl of pain escaped the fox before Ripred tore his throat out as well, all the while fending off other blows. Slowly but surely, more foxes poured forward to attack Ripred, and Ripred was being forced to retreat, albeit how slowly it was. The other rats were also being forced to move backwards, as the foxes began to search for weaknesses. Calvin felt absolutely useless and helpless as the foxes began to close the distance.

Suddenly, a fox managed to break through Ripred's seemingly impenetrable defence and took a swipe at Ripred's side, drawing blood. Snarling angrily, Ripred lashed out furiously tearing through the foxes just through sheer anger and determination. One by one, the foxes slowly fell at his feet as he fought more furiously than Calvin had ever seen. Motivated by their leader, the other rats did the same, fighting ferociously and killing as many foxes as possible.

Suddenly, Brutus made a low-pitched purr, and the foxes retreated slightly, gathering behind Brutus. Brutus observed Ripred's trail of destruction, and the bodies all torn to pieces by the rat. "You left none in your wake, Lord Ripred," Brutus mused, "in fact, you are even better than rumours claim you are. But I will rid Regalia of its best fighter today."

"The chances of that happening are not as high as the chances of the schemers losing their high general," Ripred spat back furiously.

Brutus cocked his head to the side, looking fairly amused. "Let's see who is right, Lord Ripred." Ripred didn't waste time with anymore words. He crouched low, and readied himself for Brutus to attack. Brutus hurled himself forward at lightning speed, swinging his claws. Ripred blocked both attacks easily, before replying with a double swipe of his own. But Brutus had already moved back quickly, and held back searching for a weakness. He then lashed out at Ripred's eyes, but Ripred had already swerved out of the way, and threw himself through the air, spinning and slashing simultaneously. Brutus was just able to dodge the attack, but not before one of Ripred's claws sliced through the tendon of his left hind leg.

Growling in frustration, Brutus limped out of Ripred's range, panting heavily. He launched another attack, but Ripred handled the attack, either blocking with his claws or moving out of the reach of Brutus. He then surprised Brutus but flipping and landing on the high general's back, sinking his teeth deep through Brutus' hide. Roaring in pain, Brutus dropped and rolled and shook his body, throwing Ripred off his back.

Ripred staggered back to his feet, returning to his original position in front of Calvin. He heard the rat mumble, "Where the hell are those damn reinforcements?"

Meanwhile, Brutus hobbled back towards the foxes, visibly in pain. He turned to face Ripred, his face contorting into one of rage. Calvin had never seen anger like that appear on an animal's face."Lord Ripred," Brutus snarled, "you seal your place among Regalia's dead."

Ripred sneered back at Brutus in response. "Is your back bothering you, general?"

Brutus was just about to reply, but the fox next to him was suddenly beheaded, as a series of black shadows descended on the foxes. Calvin looked up to see at least 300 human riders on what seemed like… bats?... sweeping down to kill the foxes. Calvin stumbled backwards in sheer amazement at the scene. The bats hovered above the foxes for a while, before diving down, with the riders on their back drawing their swords and slashing. Instantly, almost the entire fox battalion was killed or maimed. Brutus cried out a signal for retreat, as he scurried down a hole in the ground, but less than half a dozen joined him. The rest were ruthlessly slaughtered by the riders and their bats.

Ripred collapsed in exhaustion. A female rider totally covered in armour, leapt off the bat and landed next to him. "Lord Ripred?" she asked in concern.

Ripred coughed slightly, before replying, "Took you a while, General Perdita."

The woman smiled at him. "I thought you said you could take them on," she teased.

Ripred shook his head. "Even a rager can be outnumbered, General. I began to crack at about a hundred to one."

"It used to be four hundred," came her curt reply.

Ripred laughed. "I'm getting old," he said, before seeming to remember Calvin. He turned to face him. "Ah there you are, Calvin. In case you haven't been paying attention for the past half an hour," he said, clearing his throat, "I am Lord Ripred, high general of Regalia, leader of the Gnawers, Chief Councillor to the queen and Head of Regalia's defence and training system. Do you have any intellectual questions to ask that won't lower my intelligence quotient?"

**Chapter 5 complete! Please remember to review my work after reading this chapter. I hope to upload my next chapter soon!**

**P.S. Did you like my portrayal of Ripred? If you are reviewing my work, please comment on my portrayal of RIpred if possible.**


	6. Chapter 6: Welcome to Regalia

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter! In this chapter, things are gonna be less intense, but hopefully still interesting, as we get to see the impact of Gregor's actions on the city even after an eight year absence.(yes, he has been gone for that long). Thanks goes to Gregortheunderlander1918 for the suggestion on Calvin's response. I'll be incorporating it into the story :)**

**Please remember to provide a short review. Any review would be good! No matter how short the review would be. Thanks guys!**

**Chapter 6: Welcome to Regalia**

For the umpteenth time, Calvin swallowed nervously. He had just seen this rat tear foxes to pieces firsthand, and combat enemies much larger than him with ruthless ferocity. This rat was not one to mess with. He just stared at Ripred, unable to comprehend what he had just seen. This rat was a killing machine.

"If you are stunned by the length of my title, then I understand. It's such a pain to say the whole thing. But you know how the Council is with protocol sometimes. Not that I listen to the Council all the time, you know," Ripred said, looking like he was caught up with talking about himself.

When he noticed Calvin continuing to stare at him wordlessly, he grunted in frustration. "This boy is as blur as that infantile sister of Howard," Ripred grumbled, "what's her name?"

"Chimney," Perdita offered, still not taking off her helmet.

"Ah yes, Chimney," Ripred said triumphantly. He then scowled at Calvin, "Any questions, boy?", shocking Calvin back into his senses.

"Uh…" Calvin began, "I was going to ask you… uh…"

"Stop stammering and get to the point, boy. Otherwise we're loading up!" snapped Ripred.

Calvin swallowed nervously again. It was becoming a habit. "I was going to ask… uh.. where Regalia is… cos' my dad told me to go there… and I don't know where it is," Calvin blabbered out.

Ripred snorted. "That's where we are going, nitwit," he said, turning his attention back at the human riders, who had gathered with their bats around Ripred. "Paulus, get off Hecate and let me and the Overlander use it. You fly with Perdita," Ripred ordered. The rider nodded, and leaping off his bat, joined Perdita on her bat.

By now, most of the riders had removed their helmets, revealing the most unusual faces Calvin had ever seen in his life. With metallic-blonde or silver hair, violet irises, and pale, almost translucent skin, Calvin was absolutely surprised by how they looked. He had seen plenty of unusual people in his lifetime, but never like this.

He felt something nudge him, and when he turned he realised it was Ripred's tail. "Stop staring boy," the rat whispered harshly, before turning his attention back to Perdita. "Did Flyfur and Sixclaw get to you? And how is the caretaker?"

"They did," Perdita answered gravely, "but as for the caretaker's condition, we are in the dark as well."

Calvin felt his blood freeze cold at the mention of Mr Bennett's condition. "We have to get back!" he said, gripping Ripred's fur.

"Let go of my fur," Ripred snarled.

Calvin backed away quickly, but could still feel the panic surging through his entire body. Ripred gestured for Calvin to sit on a orange-striped bat. He quickly climbed on and Ripred joined him. "Double your usual speed, hecate" he told Hecate, and she nodded obediently. Ripred barked out one last order just as she took off. "Count the number of casualties on their side and report to me!" he called out. Perdita nodded in response.

Calvin wrapped his hands around the bat's neck and held on tightly. The sensation of being exposed high up in the air was new to him. He closed his eyes, and squeezed it shut, praying desperately for his and Mr Bennett's safety. Suddenly, he felt a claw rest on his shoulder. "There's no need to be worried, boy," Ripred's voice flowed through his ears, "we'll catch you, and we're flying back as fast as we can. You need not squeeze your eyes that tight. Or you can, but you'll miss the best part." Calvin opened his eyes and viewed his surroundings. They seemed to be crossing a large river, with thousands of caverns and other objects Calvin couldn't identify standing around. The bat cut through a series of high-ceiling tunnels before arriving on the other side.

And Calvin's jaw dropped in absolute awe of Regalia.

He pretty much forgot about his and Mr Bennett's current city's beauty was almost incomparable to any other city he had ever been to before. It had the look of a half medieval, half Renaissance city, with beautiful arches, domes, and structures. Calvin also could have sworn he saw what looked like a large stadium, hidden by a building much more captivating. Standing tall and proud in the backdrop of it all, seemed to be a titanic castle-of-sorts. And deep down on the ground, there wasn't just roads, but a connecting series of bridges that led to areas, which he could see was densely populated rats, doing their own work. The walls of the city were being patrolled by a combination of rats and humans.

But Calvin spotted something immediately. He saw an enormous statue, about 50 feet in the air, erected next to the castle. It appeared to be a warrior, clad in black armour, and he was carrying a beautiful sword in one hand, and a glittering dagger in the other. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Ripred's voice interrupted his thoughts, "welcome to the city of Regalia."

Calvin couldn't help but breath aloud, "It's magnificent." Then he returned his gaze onto the statue. "Who's that?"

Ripred froze for a moment, before recovering quickly to choke out, "That is… the warrior. Legendary saviour of Regalia. He was one of you."

Calvin looked at Ripred questioningly. "What do you mean he was one of us?" he asked.

Ripred cleared his throat, before replying, "He was from… what's that name called… New York City."

Calvin turned to Ripred. "He was from New York? Is he still alive? Is he still here? May I speak to him?"

Ripred bowed his head, before mumbling, "Indeed he is from New York. Alas, you can't speak to him. How do I say this…" Ripred trailed off, searching for the appropriate words. "Well, technically he is dead. He died here. You can't speak to him."

Calvin frowned. "What do you mean, "technically?""

Ripred just shook his head. "Look kid, just take it as if he's dead."

Calvin sighed in disappointment. It would be cool if he had a mentor to guide him here in this unknown world. "Did you know him?" he asked Ripred.

Ripred nodded slowly. "Yes, I did," Ripred replied, "I was his teacher. He wasn't a very good student though. I preferred his sister much more."

Calvin didn't hear the last part. "You taught him?" he questioned Ripred, "can you teach me too?"

Ripred eyed Calvin from head to toe, before muttering, "Maybe."

Hecate flew and hovered at the gates. A guard called out, "Open the doors for Lord Ripred!" Calvin's eyebrows shot up in amazement as the double doors of the city opened up and Hecate flew through.

"Damn the Council and their stupid protocol," Ripred grumbled, "why can't we just fly over the walls?"

"In case of enemy attacks, my lord," Hecate answered Ripred politely.

Ripred dismissed that idea with a wave of his paw. "Ha! As if foxes have wings!" he retorted. Hecate broke out into a noise that sounded like "huh huh huh". Calvin realized she was laughing, but something else hit him.

"This is deja vu," Calvin murmured, "I've heard a bat laugh like this before."

Ripred eyed him questioningly. "That's impossible," Ripred said, frowning, "you've never met our kind of bats in your life before today."

"I know," Calvin replied, "I don't know why I remember that." He realised that many people had begun to look out of their windows at him. Honestly, he was feeling quite uncomfortable from the attention. He never really enjoyed the limelight. It was hopeless though. He really looked weird in the midst of these people.

Just then, Hecate swerved to the left, leading them straight to the titanic castle. Ripred smiled at the sight of it. "This is the palace, and we are going to land in the High Hall," Ripred informed Calvin, "and it can act as a fortress as well."

Calvin observed a number of people gathering at the High Hall. "Ah, Vikus and company," Ripred chuckled, "always so desperate to please new guests. Especially if they are Overlanders."

A regal-looking young couple, an old man, and a number of guards made up the human group welcoming him. Joining them was a rat, as well as… what were their names… Flyclaw and Sixfur, or something like that. Furthermore, there were a couple of cockroaches, about half a dozen bats, and some… rats again, but they looked much smaller and more meek. there were a few other creatures Calvin couldn't recognise, but it was very unnerving that all of them were staring at him.

Calvin jumped off the bat rather hurriedly, forgetting to thank Hecate. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was the condition of Mr Bennett. The old man stepped forward to greet him first. He had a kindly look on his face, and a slight twinkle at the eye. "Greetings, Overlander," he introduced himself, "I am Vikus. Do not fret, your caretaker, Mr Bennett, has a stable condition at present. He will survive."

Calvin breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, Vikus," he said, and then a thought struck him. "You knew my father, didn't you?"

Vikus only smiled. "That confirms my suspicion. You are Calvin Oberton, son of Richard Oberton, are you not?"

Calvin nodded, feeling much more comfortable, even amongst the presence of these strangers. Vikus could be trusted, since his father trusted him. And Vikus gave Calvin an oddly comfortable feeling when they were talking.

"Come Calvin," Vikus said, gesturing at the rest of the company, "let me introduce you to our leaders in the alliance."

He first led him to meet the cockroaches. "This is Temp, leader of the cockroaches, and his mate, Click." Both cockroaches were easily 4 feet long, and they bowed their antenna respectfully. Calvin felt the need to bow in return, so he did.

And then Temp surprised him by speaking. "Know you, the warrior and princess, know you?" he asked.

Calvin had no idea what Temp was saying, so he turned to Vikus and stared at him also pleadingly. "No, Temp, I don't think he knows the warrior or the princess," Vikus answered. Temp seemed disappointed, but only bowed respectfully again.

Calvin then met a few animals in quick succession. First he met a spider called Reflex, then he met a mole whose name he couldn't pronounce, before being introduced to an intelligent mouse called Heronian. The mouse looked at him, almost sorrowfully, before asking him, "Do you know a girl called Lizzie Walker?"

Calvin shook his head, but added, "But when I return to the Overland, I'll look out for that name." The mouse smiled gratefully and nodded in thanks.

Calvin was then brought to meet the newly-crowned queen of the bats, a black and white striped "flier" called Nike, who was also part of the bat's delegates to the alliance. She looked at him with what seemed like a mix of curiosity, relief and even pity. She only said, "Welcome to Regalia," before he was whisked away to meet other bats.

Of the other bats, first he met Aurora, a beautiful golden bat, who was apparently the "bond" of the queen. Calvin had no idea what that meant, but he made a mental note to ask Vikus later. Vikus seemed to be reading his thoughts though, as he mouthed the words "I will explain to you later" to Calvin. He then met a towering hunk of a bat, Dionysus, who was the bond of the king. Then he met Andromeda, who was the bond of a general called Mareth. Calvin's mind was an absolute blur, attempting to process all the names he had heard over the past few minutes. Finally, he met Vikus' own bond, Euripides, who looked like the bat version of Vikus- kindly and friendly.

Calvin was then led to meet the rats. He met Lapblood first, who, like Ripred, eyed Calvin from head to toe, before grunting, "He's alright."

He then met Flyfur and Sixclaw again. He flushed a light shade of red at first, as he realised he got their names mixed up, but then he lost that feeling of embarrassment when he remembered what they had done for him. "Thank you," he said gratefully, "for saving Mr Bennett."

They chorused a "you're welcome!" in unison, before he parted with them.

Vikus then led him to meet the humans. "I leave the best for last," he told Calvin, "as I now introduce to you the humans of Regalia."

Calvin first met a good-looking young man, who stood above six feet, and had an air of grandeur about him. "This is King Conrad," said Vikus, "our king. King of Regalia."

Calvin didn't know why, but he found himself dropping to one knee. "Greetings, your Majesty," he mumbled, feeling overwhelmed by the occasion.

Conrad rested a hand on Calvin's shoulder. "Rise, Calvin the Overlander," he said. Calvin stumbled to his feet, bowing respectfully to the king.

Conrad smiled reassuringly. "You need not be so formal, Calvin," he told Calvin. Calvin already felt that he liked this guy. He seemed like the only friendly guy he had met so far. Apart from Vikus, of course. However, he also felt what felt like an air of caution rising in his senses. He had no idea why, though.

He then met a young, beautiful woman, who had very delicate features, and the faint line of a scar running down one side of her face. However, Calvin found himself staring into her eyes, and he was surprised by what he saw. Inside those eyes, he saw the raw emotions of pain, misery, sorrow, depression and guilt. Calvin had seen those types of eyes before. They were the sign of someone who had been broken deep inside a long time ago, and had never mended since. Calvin felt a pang of pity shoot through him as he saw the feelings that the woman was experiencing.

Vikus cleared his throat slightly. "This is Queen Luxa," he said, "wife of King Conrad. It is important to note that she is also bonded with Ripred." There was that word again. Bond. Bonded. Whatever. It seemed like a pretty big deal in the Underland. Similarly, Calvin found himself dropping to one knee.

"Thank you for accepting me into your city, Your Majesty," Calvin said. He paused for a while, but there was none. All he could hear was Ripred conversing with someone, and even then the conversation began to die down.

He waited for another momentary period of silence, before raising his head. He found Luxa staring down at him, tears welling up in her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek, as she tried to speak, but choked up. She paused for a while. He noticed that Conrad had lost his smile, and was tensing up. "Luxa," he said forcefully, "you have to let go of … that memory. We have a guest."

Ripred and Vikus both stepped forward and lay a hand and claw respectively on her shoulders. "Luxa, his name is Calvin," Ripred said softly.

She nodded and then, calming herself down, said in a surprisingly strong voice full of authority, said to Calvin, "Welcome to the Underland and Regalia, Calvin the Overlander. It has been a long time since we have met an Overlander. I believe the last we met was your father." Vikus nodded in agreement.

Conrad seemed to relax a bit more, now, and he shot her a loving smile. "Good job, my love," Calvin caught Conrad mouthing to her. She nodded and smiled back, but Calvin knew that was a false smile only. A facade. He had seen her eyes. He knew the misery she was going through. And he didn't blame her for that fiasco-of-sorts earlier. Anyone experiencing that kind of emotional pain deserved some kind of sympathy. She had probably lost a loved one by the looks of it. And he knew what that felt like.

Vikus, seemed to read his mind once again. "Your father was a good man," he whispered to Calvin, "and know that he is greatly revered here for his honour. Hopefully, through his son, his death will not be in vain." Calvin had no response for that. He just nodded as politely as he could.

Vikus then led him to meet a smiling soldier, who had one prosthetic leg. Calvin immediately felt comfortable when meeting him. It was nice to see disabled people still smiling. Calvin respected people like that. "This is General Mareth," Vikus said, "one of our most experienced soldiers and war veterans around. As you can see, he has been through some of our toughest wars."

"I can see that," Calvin said, extending his hand to shake Mareth's, "it is my pleasure to meet you, General."

"The pleasure is all mine," came Mareth's polite reply.

Calvin took another look at the leaders and delegates of the alliance he had just met. Their differences, whether physical or character-wise, were innumerable, but they all seemed to stand united and together. And that surprisingly made Calvin feel safer and more assured. Vikus then made a quick announcement, addressed to the delegates, "Thank you all for coming here to meet the Overlander. You may return to your duties or activities." Then he turned to Calvin. "As for you Calvin the Overlander, I will be bringing you on a personal tour around Regalia. When the Chief Doctor Howard reports to me and says you can visit Mr Bennett, we will allow you to do so. As for now, follow me please."

"You'll need me," Ripred called out to Calvin, as the delegates went their separate ways.

Calvin frowned. "For the tour?" he asked.

"Vikus can be quite long-winded," Ripred explained.

Calvin shrugged saying, "I guess you can come along." As they moved to catch up with Vikus, Calvin asked Ripred, "What are we going to see?"

Ripred shot him a devilish grin in response.

"With me around, you'll see everything you need to see."

**That's Chapter 6 done. This chapter ended up being longer than I imagined. Originally, I planned to incorporate the tour of Regalia in this chapter, but that will have to wait. Sorry if my ending for this chapter is a bit dull, but I guess it'll have to do. Sigh… damn this chapter for its length in the introductions session. **

**Anyway, please remember to spend a minute to review my work. Thanks!**

**P.S. To all those reviewing, if you have any suggestions as to what to add in the tour, then please add them in! Thanks! **


	7. Chapter 7: Dark History

**Hey guys! Thanks for the support so far! For those who are enjoying the story, I'm glad you are enjoying it! For those who are not so convinced, well… I hope I can win over your support for the next few chapters. However, I would like to see reviews. For example, my heartfelt appreciation goes to Dr GamePixel for following my story, but my true happiness would come from you reviewing it! But thanks for the support anyway!**

**This chapter might turn out a little bit short, as its contents were supposed to be placed in the other chapter. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter 7!**

**Chapter 7: Dark History**

Vikus helped to hoist Calvin up Hecate, and Ripred climbed on top as well. Vikus then whistled, and Euripides came flying round, and landed next to him. Vikus then crawled on top of Euripides gingerly, settling himself into position. Ripred chuckled. "You're really getting too old, Vikus, for all this flying," Ripred joked.

"So are you, from what I've heard of your battle with the schemers," Vikus quipped back.

Both broke into laughter good-naturedly, leaving Calvin rather confused. "Ah, this is rather impolite Ripred, we have a guest in our midst," said Vikus seriously, "and we have a tour to bring him on."

With that, Euripides and Hecate shot into the air, providing Calvin with a bird's eye view of the city. Despite hanging on uncomfortably for dear life, Calvin couldn't help but widen his eyes in pure amazement of how beautiful the city was.

"Show him around the walls of the palace," said Vikus, and the bats began to circle the palace, giving him a view of the palace from all sides. "It is the ultimate last defence system in place to protect our monarchs," Vikus began, "and as you can see, only bats can land here. We do have a… lift, is that what you Overlanders call it?... system, that can haul people or objects from the ground up. This building was built under the watch of Bartholomew of Sandwich."

Vikus closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Some details are difficult to remember, but I will try my best to provide the most detailed history I can of our city," Vikus said,a little shakily, "Bartholomew of Sandwich is the founder of our city. He led a group of about eight hundred people down here, to the Underland. He was originally from England, and from what we know, he originated from Yorkshire. Furthermore, Sandwich, as we refer to him here, had a very special gift."

"BORING. Damn it, Vikus, can you do away with teaching the history lesson?"Ripred yawned, "Your city is four hundred years old. At this rate, we won't get back for dinner. And that means I'm going to miss my shrimp in cream sauce."

"Please quiet down, Ripred," Vikus said reproachfully, "this is an important part of our history as humans."

Ripred snorted indignantly and turned his head in the other direction.

"As I was saying," Vikus continued, "Sandwich had a very special gift. That was the gift of foresight. He saw the future in his dreams, and wrote prophecies based on it. These dreams haunted him for the rest of his life till his death."

Calvin instantly asked, "What are prophecies?"

"Prophecies are a bunch of words that rhyme and predict what happens next," Ripred interrupted Vikus.

Vikus shot Ripred an irritated look, before speaking again, "Yes, it is as Ripred says, albeit he put it very crudely." Calvin nodded, but his mind was an absolute mess. Less than 6 hours into his stay in Regalia, he had fallen down hundreds of metres, witnessed a giant animal deathmatch, seen Mr Bennett fall into a heart attack, and flown on giant bats. Now he was supposed to listen to Vikus give a lecture. And it was early in the morning New York time. Needless to say, Calvin was exhausted.

"Calvin? Are you alright?" Vikus asked concernedly.

Calvin shook his head to get rid of his sleepiness, before replying, "Nah, I'm fine. Please continue." Vikus beamed from ear to ear, obviously delighted with himself.

"Don't be too happy with yourself, Vikus. They boy is clearly tired. Let's go back for dinner. The boy is clearly not in a mood to listen to ancient history," Ripred spoke up.

"I am not!" Calvin shot back.

Ripred waved his claw in the air dismissively. "If you insist," Ripred said lazily.

Vikus then leaned in to whisper to Calvin. "He's just grumpy and hungry. Don't listen to him," Vikus finished with a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

"I heard that!" Ripred called out.

Calvin couldn't help but giggle slightly. He was in need of something to cheer him up, and the light-hearted banter between Ripred and Vikus tickled him slightly.

"Unfortunately, a few years ago, a fire broke out in the prophecy room. Apparently, there were a few candles lit in the room, and someone, probably a guard who entered the room, knocked over all the candles," Vikus resumed his lecture, " The fires caught onto the walls, and burnt most of the carvings on it, as well as the precious few prophecy manuscripts we had left in the room. We usually used prophecies to understand what lay in our path ahead. But now we can no longer rely on them to guide or console us."

"On the bright side, we no longer have to follow those dreary prophecies again. I bet they caused more terror than they consoled. Those prophecies were really gloomy. Could really break a heart, you know," Ripred piped up.

"Well, yes," Vikus admitted, "but nonetheless, it was a big blow for us. The last prophecy that was fulfilled was about that pessimistic rat over there."

Calvin turned to face Ripred. "There was a prophecy about you?" Calvin asked in shock.

Ripred shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Calvin turned to Vikus. "Could you recite it for me?" "Of course!" Vikus exclaimed. He took a deep breath, and began:

_ON SOFT FEET, BY NONE DETECTED,_

_DEALING DEATH, BY MOST REJECTED,_

_KILLED BY CLAW, SINCE RESURRECTED,_

_MARKED BY X, TWO LINES CONNECTED._

_FINALLY, THEY INTERSECTED,_

_TWO LINES MET, ONE UNEXPECTED._

Vikus paused for a while for an intended dramatic effect. "It is called the prophecy of the "Peacemaker"," Vikus said, smiling. Calvin stared at Ripred for a while. "You're a peacemaker?" Calvin asked incredulously.

"Apparently," came Ripred's reply.

"You were rejected by most people?"

"I'm not the most well-liked creature in Regalia. At that time, I daresay pretty much everybody didn't trust me, whether rat or human. In fact, I guess even the cockroaches and spiders still didn't trust me back then."

"You were killed but resurrected?"

"A figure of speech. A bunch of stupid people thought I was dead. So when I appeared again, it seemed like resurrection. Can't believe some balmy people could think like that."

"Marked by X? Is that in reference to your criss-crossing scars on your face? You got those scars in battle, I assume."

Now Ripred looked very uncomfortable. Guilt seemed to be written all over his face. He cleared his throat, before answering, "Yep! That's what the prophecy meant! The prophecy is really spot on, huh?"

Now Vikus stared at Ripred more closely. "Ripred," Vikus said sternly, "is there something you're hiding from us?"

Ripred shot a sheepish grin, before replying confidently, "NOPE. I am most definitely not."

Vikus eyed Ripred suspiciously, before turning his attention back on Calvin. "We will now be exploring the city more in-depth."

Following a boring explanation on how the city worked, in which Calvin nearly fell asleep on three occasions had it not been for Ripred's tail slapping the back of his head, Vikus led them to an enormous area, that appeared to be a stadium. From a bird's eye view, Calvin could see bats and human riders playing ball games down below.

Vikus then continued, "Here is where I explain to you about how the bonding system works here in Regalia. Essentially, a flier, or as Overlanders call them bat, bonds with a human. This means that they promise to do one thing: Protect each other to death. Save each other's lives. You become almost related by blood. It is a very serious relationship and breaking your oath to save each other's lives is punishable by death."

Calvin raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That's really harsh." "

That is why you must be extremely dedicated and must be very willing to enter such a relationship. Bonds are often very, very good friends, if not best friends," Vikus replied solemnly.

"How do you… bond with someone?" Calvin asked, his interest piqued by this matter of "bonding".

Vikus responded quickly, "That's easy to answer. You go through a simple ceremony where you say a few words to swear loyalty to each other. This must be done in front of a member of the Council. After which, depending on the human or flier bonding, there is a feast."

Calvin nodded slowly, before turning to Ripred and asking the perennial question on his mind. "Why did you bond with the queen?"

Ripred suddenly stopped looking disinterested."Rats and humans never bonded with each other, until recently. We have always been enemies, until the War of Time ended. Luxa and I were the first human-rat bonds. It was necessary in order to create peace between the humans and the rats. There is still friction between the two races, but that is all. The peace will last," Ripred said gravely.

Calvin then followed up with another question, "Do you and Queen Luxa trust each other to the death?"

At this question, Ripred smiled, before replying, "Oh yes we do. We are hardly best friends, but while she will never admit it, she will trust me to the death. I think she's closer to her other bond, however."

Vikus then cleared his throat. "I apologise for interrupting, but I would like to show Calvin something."

Ripred nodded, mumbling, "Go ahead."

Vikus leaned over to Hecate, and told her, "Bring us to your brother's cave, Hecate."

Hecate nodded slowly, and then rocketed off in a direction south of the palace. They flew for a few minutes, and soon they arrived in a small but nice-smelling cave. Vikus led Calvin and Ripred off the bats, but Calvin could have sworn he heard a muffled sob coming from Hecate.

They entered the cave, and immediately Calvin spotted a food basket on the side. It had some flowers in it, and a small card, reading: _Left in honour of the warrior, saviour of Regalia. May he rest in peace._ Calvin stared at it for a while, comprehending what had happened. The warrior… saviour of Regalia… dead now… tribute to him… "Why the food basket?" Calvin asked aloud.

"Left by his childhood love," came the weary reply from Vikus. When Calvin turned to face them, they looked a hundred years older.

"This is the story of the warrior," began Vikus, "he fell down to the Underland with his baby sister accidentally. He comes from New York City, just like you. He was almost immediately identified as the warrior, as he fitted the description of the prophecy. He then led a mission, a quest, to look for his father. He had not had a father for almost 3 years." Calvin could almost immediately sympathise with this guy. He had lost a father as well.

"He was followed by a number of current members, including the current queen herself, the queen's flier bond Aurora, Temp, and the warrior's sister. And of course, a certain gnawer." Vikus said, looking at Ripred.

"He was quite scrawny back then. Hardly looked like warrior stuff. He surprised us all. And almost nobody surprises me," Ripred said fondly.

Vikus stared at him for a while. "I rarely hear you speak of anybody with so much emotion."

"Emotion? Ha! Vikus, stop your nonsense!" Ripred retorted. Vikus let an amused smile remain on his facing, irking Ripred. "Cut it, Vikus!" he snapped at the old man.

Vikus only chuckled before continuing the story, "Needless to say, as you would have guessed by now, he succeeded in rescuing his father. He then participated in a few more quests, including a significant one, where he spared the life of what was to be his greatest enemy."

"The Bane," snarled Ripred, and for a while, Calvin could hear the contempt in his voice. "Questionable call," Ripred continued, "to spare that wretched asshole's life."

"Ripred, please don't use such words in front of guests," said Vikus, somewhat agitatedly, "you know the impression given when you use such words."

Ripred snorted, but did not reply.

"Anyway, he fought in the final battle, and slew the Bane in a war called the War of Time. His bond, Ares was killed by the Bane," finished Vikus.

Almost instantly, Calvin felt that he remembered that name. "I've heard that name before," he told Ripred and Vikus, "I know that name. Ares. Big black bat."

Vikus frowned at him. "You heard of him? That's impossible. I didn't even tell your father his name," said Vikus, seeming very confused.

Calvin shook his head. "I know, I've been trying to make sense of it too. It's almost like deja vu," he responded.

Ripred shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone experiences deja vu once in a while," said Ripred.

Vikus stared at them in confusion. "What is this… deja bu you speak of?"

Calvin giggled slightly, before clarifying, "It is the experience of having seen or felt something before even though you actually haven't."

Vikus nodded slowly. "I see," he said, even though he still sounded a bit confused.

Calvin decided to change the topic quickly. "How did the warrior die?" he asked.

Vikus was just about to answer, but Ripred cut in before him. "He killed himself," Ripred answered. Vikus shot him a look, but didn't say anything. "

Why?" Calvin asked even more inquisitively.

"He didn't want to carry on fighting in anymore wars," said Ripred, a little bit sadly.

"That's a stupid reason," muttered Calvin. He expected Ripred to come out and attack him, but the scarred rat only sighed, saying, "You have no idea what life is like down here."

Now Calvin had one last question pressing on the back of his head. "One last question," he said, hoping his questions wouldn't frustrate them, "what was his name?"

Ripred answered him again, although this time Vikus nodded in agreement. "It is an unspoken rule that nobody repeats his name again, lest it hurts those who used to know him."

Calvin couldn't help but ask another question. "Who was his childhood love?"

"You already asked your last question, and the answer to your current question is that the identity of the love is private!" snapped Ripred.

When Calvin began to protest his innocence, Ripred bared his teeth into a snarl, shutting Calvin up immediately. Vikus only rolled his eyes. "Be more gentle with the boy," he told Ripred.

Ripred stalked out, replying, "The boy is getting on my nerves."

When Calvin and Vikus emerged outside the cave, they found that Ripred had left with Hecate already. "That rat," said Vikus, shaking his head, "is quite a character."

"So… Hecate was Ares' sister?" asked Calvin, once again trying to change the topic.

"Yes," answered Vikus, "although she rarely spoke with him. Now it's time to go back to dinner. You must be famished."

Just then, Calvin's stomach rumbled, and he grinned sheepishly at Vikus. Vikus returned him a warm smile, saying, "I'll take that as a yes."

After returning to the palace, Calvin was led to the showers, where he bathed himself in all kinds of unusual soaps, shampoos, and.. weird stuff that he couldn't classify. As he immersed himself in the bath, he thought of his past few hours in Regalia. The world had changed drastically and so dramatically in the space of a few hours.

Calvin couldn't even remember what had happened that led him down into Regalia. God, how was he not crazy yet? He had lost everything… for what? He felt insanity gripping hold of him. He felt the impulse to get out of the bathtub and run around the palace naked. Suddenly, he began to hallucinate. For some weird reason, Samantha appeared next to him in the bathtub, and then Mr Carter was staring at him… and then that doctor… and then the weird-looking girl… and now the bat… he was really losing his mind…

"Snap out of it!" he snarled aloud to himself. But he didn't need to. Rationality soon resettled back into his nerves once he remembered his father's letter. He had a purpose here, and he had to fulfil it. He shook his head in frustration. He couldn't sucuumb to sudden bouts of insanity.

After he was done cleaning himself, he found a fresh pair of what must have been Underland clothes. They were soft and silky, and were made out of a material that was unfamiliar to him. As he slipped them on, he thought to himself, _Man, these guys are really backwards._

He then walked outside, an air of apprehension settling in the air around him. He was in a foreign place, after all. A guard was standing at one side, waiting patiently for him. "This way, please, Overlander," said the guard respectfully.

As they made the long walk towards the royal wing for dinner, an awkward silence fell over them. The guard attempted to ease the tension by saying, "Overlander, if I may interrupt your thoughts, I would like to inform you that I have overheard that your caretaker will be fit for visiting tomorrow, or so Doctor Howard claims."

Calvin was taken aback by the generosity of information this guard was willing to provide. "Thank you, sir," Calvin said gratefully, "may I know your name?"

The guard answered quickly but politely. "I am he called Erik, son of Albert. You may call me Erik, Overlander."

"Well, Erik, thank you for your kindness. And you may call me Calvin."

He saw Erik trying to suppress a smile. "Thank you, for your kind words, Overlander, but I think it is against our protocol to address guests by their first name. Oh, we are here."

Erik stood before a grand set of golden doors, and opening them, bowed slightly. "Welcome to the royal wing, Overlander. Have a pleasant dinner," he said to Calvin, bowing slightly.

Calvin nodded thankfully in return, before entering. Vikus stood to greet him. "Welcome to the royal wing, Calvin. We would have liked to dine in the High Hall, but it is currently under renovation. There, you would have enjoyed the view, as we have no roof. You could easily look up and admire the beauty of the Underland," Vikus said, smiling warmly.

_Not so much external beauty in the Underland outside this palace_, Calvin thought to himself, but he didn't say that aloud. Seated at the table were a couple of unfamiliar faces, but Vikus quickly led them forward to introduce Calvin to them.

The first person he met was Hazard, a boy who looked much, much different than the rest of the Underlanders. He seemed to be about Calvin's age, although Calvin appeared to be slightly taller. He had jet black, slick hair, and had the most stunning lime green eyes Calvin had ever seen. He had a friendly look about him, so Calvin decided he would like him as a friend. "Greetings, Overlander," he said, in voice that sounded like a cross between an American accent and the ancient British accents these Underlanders used.

Just as Calvin was about to question Hazard's physical differences, Vikus spoke up. "Hazard is special. He is neither Underlander nor Overlander. He is a Halflander. Born to an Underland father and an Overland mother, he is, as you can see, quite different from us."

Calvin just stared gaping at Hazard. Hazard shot him a cheeky smile in return. "Did… did… your mother teach you any of our customs?" Calvin asked, still quite in a bit of a shock.

Hazard nodded slowly, but Calvin was whisked away from him to meet someone else. She appeared to be a frail, weak, fragile woman with a creepy smile that seemed so familiar to Calvin. He couldn't help but whisper, "Nerissa." Vikus turned towards him in surprise. "You have met Nerissa?" he asked, seemingly blown away by the revelation.

Nerissa answered for him. "I communicated with him through a dream. He met me and Ares, although he probably remembers little of it," she said weakly. Vikus turned back to Calvin in surprise. "Is this true?" he asked, appearing as if he hadn't fully finished reeling from the shock. Calvin nodded, as haziness of the situation seemed to obscure the details from his memory. "I guess so, it would explain why I've heard Ares' name mentioned before," said Calvin unsteadily.

Vikus shrugged. "It matters not," he concluded, "you're here now anyway. Please, join us for dinner. However, Nerissa, I would like to speak to you about your meeting with Calvin."

Nerissa nodded in sat down a long table, with Conrad sitting at the head of it along with Luxa, and Ripred sitting on the other end.

"We get our food from our farms. You'll be surprised, but we have animal farms here as well. Sandwich remembered to bring animals such as lambs, pigs, and cows down here. We also cultivate some plants down here. Agriculture is our main source of food," Vikus explained.

"And shum fish and shrimpsh you getsh from the Fountsh," said Ripred, his mouth stuffed full of shrimp with cream sauce.

Vikus shook his head. "Ripred, we have guests. As Lord of Regalia, you should learn to mind your manners, such as not talking when your mouth is full."

Ripred shot Vikus a glare, before deciding to shut up in the end.

Dinner ended quickly without event. Vikus was generally talking about the High Hall's renovations with Conrad and Ripred. Calvin could care less. He was tired, and wanted to go to sleep. Once dinner was over, Calvin was led back to his room. He couldn't pay attention to the details of where to go. His vision was already so blurred. Once he entered his room, he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep slumber.

And that was when he began to hear the voice. That same voice, haunting his dreams. But this was different. He felt this voice penetrating his very soul, his very essence. Worse of all, the line had changed.

"_Sleep , BOY. But when you wake up from your sweet dreams, know that you will have to fight me. And there is only ONE outcome for that._"

**That's Chapter 7 done! I urge all readers who read my story to please review it! As mentioned before, it spurs me forward!**

**Fly you High!**


	8. Chapter 8: The War Council

**Hi Guys! Here is Chapter 8. Thank you to all those who have reviewed my chapters including guests, 4sdvzrh, as well as XxxNennaxXRocks! Special thanks reserved for 4sdvzrh, for providing the timely suggestion to change my dialogue formatting! Thank you for your timely critique, and I've already made the necessary changes to make my story more readable. **

**To all my readers out there, I apologise for taking so long to post chapter 8, but I've been rather busy and that has hindered my progress. Rest assured I'll be posting more often from now on.**

**Finally, I hope that all those reading my story can review it, so that I may improve. Otherwise, whether you are reviewing or not, I hope you have enjoyed the series so far, and I hope even more that you continue to enjoy it. **

**Chapter 8: War Council**

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your FEAR and ANGUISH._"

"_COME OUT BOY! I CAN SMELL YOU, AND I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR AND ANGUISH!_"

"NO!" Calvin yelled, and leapt out of his bed, grabbing the flintlock pistol on the table next to him. He aimed the weapon at the shadows, but there was nobody in the room. It was just him.

Sighing deeply, he collapsed back onto the bed, wiping the sweat off his brow. As he brought his hand to his forehead, he realised it was wet as well. Looking down, he realised that his whole shirt was drenched with sweat. Frowning in disgust, he took it off, and walked over to the side of the room to change his sweaty and grimy shirt with a fresh one.

That was when he heard the sound of muffled crying.

Quickly changing into his fresh shirt, he opened the door of his room tentatively and took a quick peek sown both ends of the corridor. When he was satisfied that the sound of crying was coming from his own imagination, he quickly turned and closed the door.

And that was when he heard the faint sound of crying again. Now very sure that the noise was real, Calvin stepped out into the corridor. After listening for a while in the darkness, he identified the person crying as a female, and she was in the living room of the royal wing. Slowly tip-toeing towards the sound of the noise, Calvin consciously reminded himself to remain in the darkness. Then he rounded the corner, and still staying silently in the darkness, stared into the living room.

Sitting on the large sofa, her legs drawn all the way up to her chest, was Queen Luxa. She was making the most miserable, depressing noises Calvin had ever heard. It sounded like a cross between screaming and whining, and the sheer misery and desperation in the tone stabbed Calvin's ears. Wincing in pain from the horrible noise, Calvin felt the urge to return to his bedroom and forget the whole situation. But curiosity overpowered his sense of discomfort, and he remained there, crouching in the shadows.

After staring at Luxa for a few minutes and beginning to feel awkward, Calvin decided to return to his bedroom. He was just about to turn around and retreat to his room when he heard a second voice enter his ears.

"It's late into the night," Ripred said, entering the living room. Calvin halted his retreat and returned to eavesdropping on Luxa and Ripred in the darkness.

"Nobody says his name anymore," Calvin heard Luxa whisper, "and it hurts me, that people just choose to forget him. And when a new… a new… Overlander comes, they just get rid of the old memory… and just fill the void with a new person. I hate Vikus for that."

"Your grandfather has already taken steps to ensure that the Warrior is not forgotten. The statue still stands proudly in front of the palace," said Ripred solemnly.

Luxa laughed, with a tinge of madness in her voice. "A statue without his name. A statue without his name. I have almost forgotten it. His name, you know. I… just remember him as my love… but he had a name," she said bitterly.

"Do you remember his face?" Ripred asked, clearly attempting to change the topic.

Luxa nodded slowly. "I kept this," she said quietly, and took out a small picture from her pocket. Calvin was too far away to see it, but he saw surprise and sadness register on Ripred's face.

Ripred and Luxa kept eerily quiet for a while, as they stared at the picture, silently contemplating their history with whoever was in that picture. Calvin was surprised by the myriad of emotions that appeared on their faces. It seemed as if an unusual concoction of joy, misery, loss and triumph mixed together, and imprinted itself on the faces of Luxa and Ripred.

"After all these years, and you show it to me now?" Ripred said, clearly feigning indignance.

Luxa laughed softly. "I prefer to share my secrets with Aurora. She talks a lot less than you. You can barely control what comes out of that hideous mouth of yours."

"That's rude," Ripred grumbled, and then his expression softened once again, as he asked Luxa, "What do you think of the new Overlander?"

Calvin raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He leaned forward slightly as he listened intently to Luxa's response.

"He's weak. He can't fight, and he lacks discipline. You should have seen him at the dinner just now," said Luxa coldly. Luxa's harsh words penetrated Calvin's soul like an iron sword, and he felt himself flushing red with embarrassment. Thankfully, he was hidden from sight, so nobody could see his reaction.

Ripred took a deep sniff of the air around him, before replying, "That may be so, but I'm sure the Underland will make a man out of him," the rat said, his eyes darting over to where Calvin was hiding.

Calvin's blood froze cold. Had Ripred spotted him? And more importantly, what did he mean when he said that "the Underland will make a man out of him"? Inhaling sharply, he closed his eyes, preparing to hear Ripred call him out.

But if the scarred rat had found him, then he showed no sign of it. He turned his gaze back at Luxa. "It has been eight long years Luxa. Some time now, you will have to let go of it," Ripred said gravely.

"I will never stop dreaming of it. You may forget the times the Warrior implored me to save your life, but I will not forget the times he did," Luxa retorted angrily.

Calvin felt the tension in the room go up a few notches. "Don't you dare accuse me of forgetting the Warrior. You have no idea how grateful I am to him for giving me a new purpose in my life. And you have to stop dreaming of his return, because it's bloody impossible!" growled Ripred.

Luxa locked eyes with Ripred for a while, neither side backing down and they had the most intense stare-off Calvin had seen in his life. Then, with tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, Luxa stomped off furiously. Calvin heaved a sigh of relief. Looks like nobody had spotted him in the end. He decided to wait for Ripred to leave the living room before returning to his own room. But the rat never left.

Once Luxa had slammed the door to her room shut, Ripred spoke up. "Step out of your hiding place, boy," he said, sighing wearily, "I can smell your presence. No need to hide anymore."

Calvin kept deathly quiet. Perhaps if he didn't respond, Ripred would believe that he had made a mistake. And then Calvin would no longer be in hot soup.

"For goodness' sake boy, you can't honestly believe I can be fooled that easily, can you?" Ripred said snidely, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

Calvin just took in a deep breath, and stepped out of the shadows. A sheepish half-smile crossed Calvin's face for a second, but he decided to conceal any emotion whatsoever when dealing with this rat. He stared at Ripred and Ripred stared back at him. It appeared as if the rat was analysing Calvin, observing Calvin with great detail and pondering on what to do with him. Calvin shuddered slightly, as the awkward silence continued for a while. Finally, Calvin found the silence unbearable, and spoke up. "So…" he began.

Ripred seemed to snap out of his earlier trance. Clearing his throat, he began to speak. "How much did you hear of our conversation?" he asked.

"The whole thing," Calvin admitted, a little guiltily.

"Mmm. No wonder why I could smell another presence in the area. An unfamiliar scent. I thought I was getting old, but my nose still helps me to spot a cowardly chicken from a mile away," Ripred said mockingly.

Calvin decided to ignore the snide remark and changed the topic. "The warrior's childhood love… was the queen?" he said uncertainly.

"Was that a question, or a statement?" Ripred inquired, his eyes gleaming with pain unlike Calvin had ever seen before. This rat had endured sheer pain throughout his life, and Calvin could see it. He could also see the deadliness that had set in, the ruthlessness, even the cruelty. Never in a million years would Calvin ever want that rat to be his enemy. In the end, he didn't reply to Ripred.

Ripred stared at Calvin for a while, before continuing, "Well, I suppose it is a statement. Yes, the queen and the warrior were in love. You have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all," answered Calvin coolly, "And I should have guessed this. That was why she started to cry when she saw me, wasn't it? Because I reminded her of… him."

Ripred shrugged slightly. "Maybe. But you don't even remotely remind me of him except that both of you are Overlanders. You have sandy blonde hair, he has light brown hair. You have emerald eyes, and he has chocolate brown eyes. He is fairly tall and lanky, you are more stout and well-built."

Calvin nodded, but then asked, "How do you know what chocolate is?"

At the end of Calvin's question, Ripred smiled. "I have come up to your Overland before. In the night, of course. And I have read your books. Not only do I gain knowledge of your world, but I also gain excellent material for my teeth to gnaw on." Ripred then unfurled his razor sharp teeth, and Calvin reeled back in surprise.

Ripred laughed, but soon became serious. "You better go back to sleep, Overlander. You have a big day tomorrow. The war council is meeting you. They have many inquiries involving Overlander technology. Believe it or not, Calvin, the part you play in Regalia's future will be big. And it will be decided in the next few days."

Calvin nodded unquestioningly, and yawning slightly, headed back to his room.

"Hold on, Overlander."

Calvin stopped in his tracks and turned to face Ripred once more. The rat looked at him, almost pitifully, for a while before saying, "The future of Regalia depends on you. People will turn to the miraculous Overlander for help. You will be under heavy pressure. But so were your predecessors. Your father, the Warrior, the codebreaker. They were all under pressure to succeed. And they did. They have left a legacy, a legacy for you to fulfil. You have massive shoes to fill, Calvin. But do not crumble under the stress. Fight on, and build your own legacy. Emerge from the shadows of your predecessors. And soon you will realise you have abilities you have never known you had."

Ripred yawned at the end of his short speech. "I'm tired too. That's a small piece of advice for you. Remember it in your darkest moments. Good night, Overlander." With that, the rat sauntered back to his room to sleep.

Calvin slowly dragged his body back to his room, where he collapsed on his bed, and fell into a troubled sleep.

Calvin awoke the next morning, his head feeling incredibly heavy. Groaning aloud to himself, he heaved his body out of bed and slipped into a set of Underland clothes left on the side. He tried to remember details of last night, and suddenly a flood of images hit him. Luxa crying. Ripred consoling. Himself, hiding. Luxa, storming away. Ripred, finding him. Ripred, giving advice… what advice did he give?

Frustrated with his weak memory, Calvin yelled out loud irritatedly. A guard then peeked into the room to check on him, but Calvin ignored him. Why was his memory suffering down here? Shaking his head, he took what he needed. His pistols. A dagger. A set of mint. A notebook and a pencil. Then he met the guard outside, and was led to breakfast.

This time, Calvin was not treated to a feast as he was last night. He was led down to the canteen, where soldiers ate. Given a slice of bread, he quickly wolfed it down, before the guard quickly led him to the council room, where most of the important figures in Regalia had already gathered.

It was more of an auditorium, or a hall, rather than a room. It was massive, and had enough room to house a couple of hundred creatures, along with a thousand strong audience There was a circular platform, or stage, in the centre of the hall. The council sat at one end, and other important creatures and the rest of the audience sat at the other end. Calvin took his designated place next to Mareth, who was sitting among the important creatures.

After a few minutes of formalities between the different species, which Calvin paid absolutely no attention to, the meeting was started. An old man stepped forward, and officially opened the council, saying, "As all guests here know, our home, the Underland, is under threat from a new species from the Uncharted Lands. This new species has been classified as a group of animals known as the schemers, famous for their cunning and intellect. Daedalus, you do have some background information on their history, do you not?"

An old bat amongst the council nodded. "That is true," he began, picking up a scroll, "I have read up on the schemers. They were never originally part of this section of the Underland. However, there is reported contact between Sandwich and the schemers. The schemers' favourite prey were diggers."

Daedalus shot a nervous sidelong glance at the moles in the council, "And Sandwich was looking to exterminate them. However, they disagreed, and Sandwich vowed to destroy them after he had claimed the Underland as his own. In return, the schemers vowed to destroy Regalia some day. Ever since then, there has been no known contact between the schemers and the rest of the Underland creatures here. That was until recently." Daedalus now turned to face Ripred, who was sitting amongst the important creatures. "I believe Lord Ripred will now brief everybody present on the events over the past few weeks."

Clearing his throat, Ripred rose to his feet, and began speak. "Thank you, Daedalus. About a month back, both the a gnawer and a nibbler colony were attacked by creatures that none of us could recognise. Although most of the nibblers and the gnawers have been evacuated, the total casualty count has hit almost a hundred. Fathers, mothers, children, sons all killed," said Ripred, for dramatic effect.

He paused for a while to let his words sink in, before continuing, "Based on the invaders who were killed during the raid, we were able to identify the attackers as schemers. Often characterised by the old history books as ruthless and cunning, they took much of the land to the east of Regalia. It is a strategic position to begin a wave of attacks which will culminate the eventual siege of Regalia," Ripred said gravely.

There were murmurs of anger as the crowd began to grow restless at the mention of the massacre and a possible invasion. Ripred raised his claw and a hush fell back onto the crowd again. "The schemers have a leader. His name is Flavius. There are rumours that he is a rager, and that he commands legions upon legions of schemers. General Mareth will inform you on the recent battle we had with the schemers," Ripred concluded.

Mareth took a deep breath and stood up. "Yesterday, the Overlander now seated next to me was ambushed by schemers. It was only through the intervention of Lord Ripred's and General Perdita's forces that we were able to rescue his life. Almost 3 dozen schemers were led by their High General Brutus to ambush the Overlander. During our combat with them, we suffered no casualties and Brutus only escaped with a handful of schemers."

The murmurs of approval from the audience soon erupted into cheers. But Mareth raised his hand. "Silence, please," he called out, as he continued. "Although it seemed like a great success, our spies tell us that Flavius' army numbers between eight and ten thousand. An army full of the most cunning, ruthless creatures in the Underland."

The silence was now absolutely deafening. Mareth cleared his throat awkwardly and resumed. "Our spy tells us that the schemers have in their possession a weapon from the Overland."

A voice from the audience called out, "Who is our spy?"

For a moment, Mareth looked stumped, as he seemed to have no idea how to respond. Then, the double doors to the council room opened, and a hoarse voice called out, "I am."

Gasps immediately emerged from the audience. Standing on the stage, in the middle of the council room, was a fox.

Even Calvin was shocked beyond belief. He looked up at Mareth, but the general only nodded in confirmation. Then Ripred burst into laughter. "Come on! Surely not all of you thought our spy wasn't going to be a schemer right? Who did you think it was going to be? Heronian?"

Heronian shot Ripred a glare, replying, "Watch your tongue Lord Ripred. Or I will show you that an angry nibbler can take the tongue of a rager."

"You're welcome to try," Ripred shot back, and then the council room burst into absolute pandemonium. The gnawers started arguing with the nibblers, the humans and bats both engaged in a vivacious debate on whether they should trust the schemer, and the crawlers shook their antennae agitatedly. Even the members of the council broke out into furious discussion over the schemer. Calvin couldn't hear anything. It was an absolute cacophony of noise. Chaos reigned inside the council room.

Finally, Vikus stood up and surveyed the chaos quietly. He then shot Calvina glance and winked at him, before booming aloud, ""QUIET!"

A hush once again descended on the raucous crowd. Vikus looked at the fox, and said, "Schemer, introduce yourself to us. And tell us what you know so far."

The fox nodded gratefully, and in his hoarse and croaky voice, began to speak. "I am Murellus, Captain of the Guard to King Flavius. I am the one and only rogue soldier of the schemers."

One council member spoke up. "Why should we trust you? What is your motivation in becoming a spy for the Regalians?"

Murellus eyed her with slight disapproval, and then continued, "I understand that you do not trust me. Naturally, that is the case. But let me tell you that I do not want war, and I have personal cause against the king of the schemers, Flavius. He killed my parents when I was very young, because he saw potential in me to become a killing machine. I still hate him today for that," snarled Murellus.

Calvin felt a pang of pity shoot through him. Murellus had his parents taken away from him too. No wonder he had a personal grudge against that cruel King Flavius.

Murellus then went on. "I do not want war. If possible, I would particularly want to avoid this one. There will be much blood shed if this war goes according to plan."

Daedalus raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

"This war is a master plan, a plan long in the making. We have waited and observed for decades, waiting for the right time to strike. Through these years, we have been waiting to fulfil a centuries-old promise. To extinguish Regalia and its inhabitants. And we have now deemed it the time to strike. We never get our tactics wrong. And we will succeed, with the help of a weapon in our hands," said Murellus ominously.

Once again, a deathly silence had settled amongst the audience, as they dreaded the future of their home in the coming days and weeks. Murellus coughed slightly, and he continued in that hoarse voice of his. "There is only one way to succeed in defeating the schemers. And that is to have a quest. A quest that will lead us straight into the heart of their legion, where we can kill Flavius and destroy the weapon."

"So you are proposing a quest?" Vikus asked.

"Indeed I am," replied Murellus simply.

The council members once again began to discuss furiously amongst each other. Finally, an old man spoke up. "We have decided that there will be a quest, and by tomorrow evening, when we all meet up again, then the members of the quest will be decided. However, Murellus the schemer, would you be so kind as to tell us what the weapon is?"

"Missiles," was Murellus' curt reply.

The council member nodded, and continued to speak. "I believe we have an Overlander in our midst. Overlander, would you care to tell us what a "missile" is?"

Calvin stood up immediately and, swallowing nervously, answered, "It is a weapon that causes a massive explosion, causing mass destruction usually."

The council remained quiet for a while. Then, one council member asked a question which was probably on everybody's mind. "What if a few of these missiles hit Regalia?"

Calvin contemplated his response. Should he give the cold, harsh truth? Or should he tell a little white lie about its destructive power? In the end, he decided on the cold hard truth.

"A few missiles would reduce Regalia to nothing but dust and history."

**Well, that's that! As mentioned earlier, I HAVE edited my previous chapters in terms of dialogue, so it appears more readable and much more palatable to the eye. I hope you enjoyed my chapter, and if you can suggest any improvements, feel free to do so! To all readers, remember to review my story!**

**Fly you high!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Arena

**Hello all readers! Thank you for all the support I have received! For all those who haven;t done so, do note that I have edited my previous chapters to make them more readable. If you haven't viewed the edited chapters yet, then I suggest you do so as soon as possible? The words look less jumbled up and confusing, and that makes the reading experience slightly better!**

**Once again, thank you for all the support that has come in. If possible, do review my story! I would really appreciate that! I hope you enjoy chapter 9!**

**Chapter 9: The Arena**

The whole council exploded into chatter, as the panic level in the room began to rise. Once again, the council member raised his hand, and the noises died down. "Thank you for helping us to understand the severity of the situation, Overlander. Everybody here is dismissed. The rest of the council have some serious matters to discuss," the council member closed the session quickly.

Ripred snorted. "They will spend hours blabbering over nothing," he remarked.

Sighing ever so slightly, Mareth got up and beckoned for Calvin to follow him. They walked out of the room, and Calvin noticed Ripred trailing them. After walking down numerous winding corridors, Mareth led both Calvin and Ripred into an unadorned and absolutely plain room. Calvin looked around for a while, before asking Mareth, "Why am I here?"

Mareth was straight to the point. "Ripred is without a shadow of doubt that you will go for this quest. I agree with him. The quest members will need an Overlander on this quest to identify the weapon, and you are the only Overlander physically capable of going on this quest. That means you will have to train."

"Train?" Calvin asked.

"How to fight, how to use a sword, how to survive, yes, the usual training routine?" Ripred drawled, "it's really quite boring to teach them when they're so old."

Calvin shot Ripred a glare, but decided not to reply to the old gnarly rat. Instead, he told Mareth, "Fighting and surviving aren't foreign to me. I had a teacher who used to teach me how to combat with rats, humans and foxes with a sword."

"Mr Carter? Oh, I was the one who gave him the syllabus. I told him what to teach you, so you wouldn't be such a pain in the arse once we had to teach you. You only know the fundamentals to fighting. You've barely scratched the surface. So don't think you know how to run into combat without our training," sneered Ripred.

"I can fight! I've even been taught to fight foxes!" Calvin protested.

"Oh, we all saw how brilliantly you fought against the schemers just now," Ripred said sarcastically.

"I was caught off-guard. I will do better later, you'll see," retorted Calvin.

"Oh, and by later, I guess you mean when you're fighting on a flier. Wow, I never knew Mr Carter taught you how to fight on a flier!" Ripred exclaimed in mock surprise.

Mareth then spoke up. "Calvin, I think it is best if you go for the training. It is only through training that we can truly assess your abilities. I agree with Ripred."

Calvin was filled with indignant rage. "Fine, I'll train with you guys. But not with him!" Calvin spluttered, furious with Ripred. He then stormed off, ignoring the fact that Ripred was guffawing away behind him. That arrogant rat! All he was full of was… arrogance and snideness! Calvin fumed inside, but tried to control his expression on the outside.

Mareth jogged and caught up with Calvin. Initially, Calvin felt bad for making Mareth run taking into account the fact that Mareth had a prosthetic leg. But that slight feeling of guilt subsided when he remembered that Mareth had sided with Ripred. "Back off," he growled at Mareth.

"All I was going to tell you was that training starts in the arena in an hour's time. You can get suited up there," said Mareth simply.

Calvin grunted a "Yes", and Mareth then headed out in the opposite direction. Calvin went up to his room hastily and grabbed his backpack. He swiftly made his way to the High Hall, where Hecate was waiting for him. "Hi Hecate. How've you been?"

"I have been well, Overlander. I hear you are required to attend the training session in the arena. Ripred seems intent on training you," Hecate observed with mild amusement.

Calvin rolled his eyes. "Ripred's so full of crap. How does anyone endure him? Does he even have someone he loves?"

Hecate stared forward expressionlessly. "He probably won't want me to say this," Hecate began hesitantly, "but I'll tell you anyway."

"What about Ripred?" Calvin asked inquisitively.

Hecate cleared her throat nervously, took a quick look around, before telling Calvin, "According to rumours, Ripred had a mate. He loved her very much, and they had a number of pups. But one day, while they were resting in a place called the Garden of Hesperides, a… general was sent to drive the rats out of the garden. However, the rats flatly refused to, and engaged in battle. They fought furiously, and were actually winning against the humans."

Hecate paused for a while, to take another look around, before continuing her story, "Finally, in an attempt to drive the rats out, the general resorted to a plan given to him by his mother. His plan was to open the sluice gates to flood the garden. This would force the rats to swim, where the humans could pick them off easier."

Calvin felt his stomach become a little queasy. Whatever was about to happen next didn't seem very pretty.

"The dike that controlled the water flowing out was centuries old, and when the water was released, the surrounding mortar and stone crumbled, and just like that, the dike collapsed as well. So instead of the garden being merely lightly flooded, the entire garden was filled underneath twenty feet of water. Rats, humans, fliers, all drowned in the chaos and carnage."

"That's horrible," Calvin murmured softly.

"It is, isn't it?" Hecate replied sadly, "but that wasn't even the end. The water, having flooded the garden, then entered the cave, where the rat pups were hiding. They died. All of them. It was absolutely horrible. I remember the screams and shrieks I heard that day. I was still a young bat, and that incident had a lasting impression. I will never forget those screams."

"What does this have to do with Ripred?" Calvin asked, already getting an idea on where this was going.

"To put it quite simply, his mates and pups died in the flood. He never even had a chance to say goodbye. For a while, he lost his mind and wandered the Underland, wanting to die. However, he finally decided to come back and end this constant bloodshed between humans and rats. Look where we are now. At peace, with Ripred being declared peacemaker and one of the lords of Regalia. But he was never the same after that incident. Perhaps that explains why he is such a hard person," Hecate finished her story.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually feel pity for him. I guess maybe I'll look at him differently from now on," Calvin mumbled.

"Don't ever tell him I told you that!" Hecate said fiercely to him.

Calvin raised his hands in mock surrender. "No prob, Hecate," he said, smiling.

Hecate's expression softened slightly, and then became sad. "I have lost loved ones too. My parents died when I was young, and my brother Ares has also passed away. I never had a chance to say goodbye to any of them."

Calvin decided not to tell her that he had met her brother. All he said was "I lost my parents too. I know your pain."

"Thank you, Overlander. In fact, you might understand the pain of many here. Many children your age or younger lost their parents during the last war. The War of Time," Hecate replied. She suddenly seemed alarmed. "Dear, we have totally forgotten! You need to be in the arena now! You're gonna be late!"

Calvin quickly hoisted himself onto Hecate, and she bulleted through the air towards the arena. Calvin gripped onto her fur tightly as the wind whistled past his ears. He felt as if his head was going to be blown off, as the speed Hecate was travelling. Within minutes, they reached the arena. Calvin quickly hopped off Hecate, forgetting to thank her. He rushed towards the armoury, where Mareth was waiting patiently for him.

"What colour do you like?" Mareth inquired.

Calvin pondered on that question for a while before replying, "Black. Or red."

Mareth nodded a little tentatively. "We'll see if those colours are available. Meanwhile, you should go for the physical training exercise with Erik Albertson. He is the main physical trainer. I believe you have already met him."

Calvin only replied with a slight nod, before he walked out into the arena, where a number of teenagers and younger children were gathering with Erik. Erik waved to him, and Calvin jogged forward to catch up with the group. Erik quickly introduced Calvin. "This is Calvin Oberton, the Overlander who will be staying here for a while. Calvin, welcome to our training session. We'll be jogging around the arena four or five times. Try to keep up," he said smiling.

It turned out that Erik was very fast at running, and Calvin struggled to maintain his jogging pace. His pace seemed to be average, as he was exactly in the middle of the group. Finally after a few more lung-bursting rounds, the students were then led to do push ups and situps, something which Calvin excelled in. He was very muscular, and despite that muscle weighing him down when he ran, he made up for that in the upper-body training session, as Erik looked on approvingly.

Calvin noticed a girl, about his age, looking at him. When she noticed that he was staring back at her, she looked away shyly. Calvin was used to situations similar to this one. Usually, he wouldn't care much, as many girls were always trying their hardest to get a nice, whole glimpse of him, but this felt different. It was almost as if… he wanted the girl to look at him.

Calvin shook his head in frustration. Why was he thinking like this? All these past years, it was all so easy to shut a girl out of his mind, but this one was suddenly invading his thoughts. He decided that being casual with her might defuse his feelings. He subtly scooted over to where she was doing situps. He thought of what to say to her. Something cool, perhaps? he ended up saying, "Hey."

The girl turned to face him. The earlier shyness on her face had dissipated, and was replaced with a firm, determined expression. "Hello…" she replied back stoutly.

"I'm Calvin. What's your name?" he asked, trying to sound as confident as possible.

For the girl, sounding confident seemed effortless. "My name is Hero. Why are you talking to me?"

Calvin shrugged. "I guess I'm trying to make friends," he said.

"And you started with me?" the girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

Calvin flushed bright red. No girl had ever spoken to him like didn't know why he was suddenly getting so embarrassed, but he tried to maintain his composure. "Hey, you were the one who started staring at me," Calvin replied cleverly.

Now it was Hero's turn to flush bright red. And boy when these people blushed, it was incredibly obvious! As her veins were clearly visible, so was the blood rushing to her face. Within seconds, a number of boys and girls were staring at her. A couple of boys stood out. One seemed to have some kind of resemblance to her. In fact, he seemed like the masculine version of Hero. The other was a boy about Calvin's age. He was fairly good-looking and was relatively muscular himself. They both eyed him extremely suspiciously. In the end, they turned around.

Hero sighed exasperatedly. "You see? Now Kent and Harold are going to come after me."

"Who's Kent and Harold?"

"Kent's my twin brother. He's really protective over me. And Harold's my boyfriend. I am courting him at the moment."

Calvin only heard the last part. For some reason he couldn't comprehend, he felt disappointed. He attempted to keep the disappointment out of his voice when he replied, "Ah I see. He appears to be a good choice. Handsome, muscular…."

Hero stared at him, clearly perplexed. Then, a knowing look was written all over her face. That look seemed to be one of desire. "Are you jealous of him?" she asked, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"No, not at all! I never even suggested that!" Calvin replied defensively. He then smiled nervously at her, trying to appear as casual a possible.

Hero was just about to reply, but then Mareth called Calvin over. Mareth quickly updated Calvin. "We no longer have red or black armour. It's been bought by some nobles. You will have to wear the standard silver armour. Are you alright with that, Overlander?"

Frankly, the colour of his armour was not on Calvin's mind. Hero's face kept replaying over and over again in his mind.

"Overlander, are you alright?" Mareth asked concernedly.

Calvin snapped out of his daze quickly, and shook his head to indicate he was alright. Looking far from satisfied with the answer, he asked once more, "Are you alright, Overlander?"

Calvin pushed the image of Hero out of his thoughts, and shook his head firmly once more. Mareth didn't look convinced, but went on to tell Calvin, "Alright, I will suit you up. Pay attention when I am doing so so you know how to put your own armour on next time. After this, you will follow me over to one corner of the arena where you will train with Ripred. Lapblood will join you later as well."

Calvin nodded wordlessly. He needed to concentrate now, and put on a good show for Ripred. And Mareth. And Lapblood. And maybe Hero. Probably Hero. He felt pressure beginning to mount on him. Many eyes would be trained on him and his skill in fighting. Calvin had been in the limelight before, as the son of Richard Oberton. But that was different. Back home, all they wanted to do was to snap a few shots of him. Here, they wanted to test him.

Calvin jogged over to meet Ripred, who was rolling on the sandy ground sluggishly. Calvin noticed audience members, common folk, streaming into the arena, probably to catch a glimpse of him. As expected, most of them began to clump in the section of the stands which overlooked the corner where Calvin was going to fight. Even the other students and Erik stopped training to have a look.

There was a loud swishing noise, and Hecate landed on the ground next to Calvin. She seemed pretty nervous as well. "I have never had so many people watch me in front of a large crowd in my life," she murmured.

Calvin decided to be direct. "Why are you following me?"

"Because I am your flier guide. I have been designated by Lord Ripred to look after you. It can really hurt my reputation to look after you," she said, chuckling, but Calvin could hear the strain in her voice.

"Do you have a bond?" he asked her.

Nope," she replied, "but Ripred believes I should bond with you."

He glanced over at her again to see if she was laughing, but she wasn't. "Are you serious? I don't quite think we have reached that stage yet."

"Neither do I," Hecate admitted, "but we'll see how things unfold."

They then walked over to Ripred, who pounced to his feet at the sight of Calvin. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed, "the mighty Overlander is here. Let's put on a show for your adoring audience, shall we? Are you excited?"

"No," replied Calvin glumly.

"Excellent! Let's test your strength with the sword first. Mareth, roll in the cannons!" Ripred barked out.

Three cannons were rolled into sight and pointed straight at Calvin.

"I thought you were going to test my skill with the sword, and not how to fire a cannon" said Calvin, attempting to incorporate some sarcasm into his conversations with Ripred.

"Of course you are, Overlander! The cannons will be shooting at you! Operating them is far too easy," replied Ripred.

"What?" Calvin asked incredulously, with the thought of sarcasm the furthest thing away from his mind.

"Of course! But you won't die. We don't want to kill our beloved Overlander so quickly. Each cannon will fire five blood balls at you. You must try to hit a many of them as possible. Sounds simple? Great, then let's start!" Ripred said cheerily.

Calvin scowled at Ripred, before turning to face the cannons. He was aware of Harold and Hero staring intensely at him, but he ignored it. He just focussed on the cannons. Without warning, they opened fire at him. He pivoted his body and began to swing his swords. He knew he missed some of them, but he just continued to swing. He watched every shot closely and adjusted his blade to hit the balls.

After less than fifteen seconds, the cannons stopped firing. At the bottom of his feet was ten shells oozing blood, and another five lying unharmed at one side.

The crowd broke out into a loud applause. Huge smiles were plastered on Erik and Hero's faces, and Mareth nodded encouragingly at Calvin. Even Ripred looked slightly impressed. However, a voice growled behind him, "The other one hit the total on his first try. Why such a big deal about this one?"

Calvin turned around to see Lapblood stalking towards him. She stared at him for a while, before moving over to where Ripred was standing. Ripred only chuckled in response, "Don't be so rude, Lapblood. The other one was a rager. This guy is a weasel with little experience in actual swordfighting. Hitting ten balls is really not bad. You just miss the other Overlander."

Lapblood hissed at Ripred angrily, but didn't say anything. Ripred turned his attention back on Calvin. " Time to mount up on your flier," he said, grinning away, "we're going to test your skills in the air."

Calvin then got back onto Hecate and she took off into the air. She flew around for a while to warm her wings up, before hovering next to Ripred. "Can you do any tricks with the boy?" he asked Hecate.

She shook her head fervently. "No. Please don't make us try any. It will end up looking horrible for Calvin."

Ripred seemed to contemplate that thought for a while. Finally, he said, "Test the Overlander's ability to fight on a flier. Fly him down towards one of the dummies, and see if he can take its head off. Remember to pull away as fast as possible after contact has been made. The usual hit-and-run strategy."

Hecate nodded and took off, circling around the area where the dummies were situated. Then, after a few seconds, she shot down towards one of them isolated along the side.

Calvin shifted the blade over to his right side, and lifted it slightly, getting ready to swing at the head. However, the attack ended catastrophically. Not used to fighting on the bat, Calvin swung too early, making him lose momentum and balance. At the same time, Hecate began to pull up, in order to move away. In the end, Calvin lost his grip on Hecate, and he slid off her, landing painfully on his buttocks on the sandy ground of the arena.

He saw the crowd all wincing from the embarrassment of the whole attack sequence. Some members of the audience attempted to encourage him by clapping, but that only made him feel even worse. Even Mareth turned away from the humiliating sight. He noticed a huge smile plastered on Harold's face now instead of Hero's, and Erik looked at him pitifully. Calvin grimaced not just from the pain, but also from the embarrassment.

Eventually, Mareth stepped forward and hauled Calvin back onto his feet. "Are you hurt, Overlander?" he asked.

Calvin groaned slightly and stretched his back, but said, "Nah, I'm fine. The only thing that was hurt was my pride."

Mareth laughed slightly at the response, and then tried to cover up his laugh by coughing. Then, Hecate glided down gracefully, although her voice sounded flustered when she apologised to Calvin, "Sorry for hurting you. It's my fault."

"Nah it's fine," he said, once again trying to sound casual, "let's move on, shall we?" Hecate nodded anxiously in response, and followed him over to where Ripred was waiting, with a massive smirk written all over his face.

"Looks like you do need training, after all," mused Ripred. Calvin only shrugged. There was no point denying what Ripred said. He hadn't gone any further towards proving that he didn't need training.

Ripred gestured at Lapblood, who advanced towards Calvin. "Let's see how you fare in actual combat, Oberton," was all Ripred said. Calvin's sword was then taken from him by Mareth and was replaced with a wooden one.

Lapblood didn't bother wasting any time with words, threats or insults. Without any prior warning, she hurled herself at Calvin viciously. Calvin ducked underneath the jump, and quickly whirled around to face her again. Now, Mr carter's teachings were swirling back into his mind, but it was in a confused, jumbled mess. Calvin would have to rely on instinct and muscle memory from some lessons.

Lapblood slashed at him twice, and Calvin blocked both attacks with his weapon, retreating quickly. He then fended off a string of claw attacks from Lapblood, each time just about preventing Lapblood from hitting him. Lapblood then came within inches of taking his eye out, but Calvin rolled out of the way just in time. "Hey!" he snapped at her, "watch where you're slashing!"

Lapblood ignored his words and attacked again, but Calvin was prepared. He sidestepped her easily and swung his wooden blade. However, Lapblood evaded the strike and rolled back onto her feet.

Calvin then decided to launch an attack at Lapblood. He attempted to feint towards her left side and attack her right shoulder. But Lapblood was evidently used to this, because she had not trouble blocking it with her claws. Calvin then tried to use a double feint to surprise her, but once again, she was equal to it.

Lapblood then retreated backwards, panting away. She was clearly very old, and very tired, and Calvin knew he was going to use that against her. If there was any time she was vulnerable, it was now.

He then attempted to attack her, just to bait her into chasing after him. His ploy was to tire her out, until she made more mistakes. Calvin caught a glimpse of Ripred whispering something to Hecate, and before he had time to wonder what they were saying, Lapblood was attacking again with her claws and teeth.

Suddenly, Calvin heard a voice behind him. "Overlander, jump."

Instinctively, Calvin leapt into the air, and Hecate slotted herself under him, and he wrapped his legs tightly around her. As they hovered in the air for a while, Hecate told him, "Watch her movements carefully and stay alert. I'm going to attack from above again. This time, be prepared."

"Sure," replied Calvin, and Hecate began to nosedive towards Lapblood. However, instead of waiting for them to attack her, Lapblood shot up into the air, unfurling her claws. Calvin barely had enough time to change the position of his sword to block the strike. As HEcate swered out of the way as well, Calvin said to her, "Drop me off. I can handle this."

Nodding obediently, Hecate flew lower, and Calvin leapt off her onto his two feet. He barely had any time to feel good about himself before Lapblood attacked. He just twisted out of the way once more, before falling back slightly. He observed her movement, and adjusted his body once more. As she ran at him, he imagined her attacking and planned out his solution of stopping her.

For the umpteenth time, Lapblood hurled herself at Calvin. But Calvin was prepared this time. He ducked underneath her attack, and spinning around to face her, planted a kick on her jaw. Lapblood was sent sprawling across the ground, and Calvin jogged forward, placing his weapon at her throat. "I win," he said, grinning away. The crowd then erupted into cheers and whistles for him.

However, Lapblood wasn't done yet. Swinging her tail round, she wrapped it around his right leg and yanked him off his feet. Calvin landed heavily on his back, and Lapblood pounced on him. The cheers from the crowd died down immediately. "I win," she growled at him. But a few seconds later, she couldn't resist a wry smile crossing her face. "Not bad, Overlander," she said approvingly.

Ripred sauntered over to where Calvin was lying. He was just about to open his mouth and speak when horns began to blow. The audience started to scream and panic, and a frantic messenger came charging towards Ripred.

"Lord Ripred, the schemers have begun a siege on Regalia!"

**That's it from me today! Remember to review if you can, this has been my longest chapter so far I think. Sorry if the ending appears a bit rushed. I was really pushing to send this chapter out as fast as possible.**

**Fly you High!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Siege of Regalia

**Hi Guys! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 9. As this is my 10th Chapter, I'll be doing a bit of a reflection on the past few weeks writing this story.**

**Updating this story will become more difficult for me as we move into the New Year. It'll become an uphill battle, but I don't intend to give up. As Christmas draws nearer, I might write a Christmas special, but I'm honestly not really sure.**

**There are many times when I feel like stopping, but I've strived on. Because deep down, I actually enjoy writing this story. No matter how dark my life may be over these past weeks, I have resorted to using writing to alleviate the suffering I have faced.**

**To be completely frank with you guys, the amount of support through reviews I have gotten is not what I imagined it should be. But there are good people out in this world whose support has kept me going. People like Gregortheunderlander1918, 4sdvzrh, XxxNennaxXRocks, DrGamePixel and Witwickety. Ideally I would like more people to review my story, but hey, I'm just glad and grateful that you guys have helped to review my work.**

**My story has taken me by surprise. I had an idea where my story was going at first, but it has now veered totally off course. So it will be a bumpy ride from here on, but we'll see how things go. I'm positive it will turn out well.**

**As per usual, although I sound like a pushy, broken recorder, I urge those who have the time to review my story. A journey of a thousand chapters begins with one review(not that I would really write a thousand chapters)**

**Hope you enjoy Chapter 10!**

**Chapter 10: The Siege of Regalia**

Ripred cursed away furiously, and climbed on top of Hecate. "Overlander, follow me! Hecate, bring us to the damn wall! Mareth, lead every guard possible to the walls. Summon every creature that can fight to defend the city!" Ripred roared.

Calvin leapt onto Hecate, and she shot through the air faster than Calvin had ever experienced. All over the city was uncontrolled panic and pandemonium. It was as if hell was unleashed over the citizens. Many were fleeing to the palace, grabbing their children and valuables. Calvin noticed many soldiers, whether human, or otherwise, riding on bats headed towards the defence wall. "How the hell did the schemers get here so fast?" Ripred muttered.

Rats and mice quickly scuttled up the steps towards the wall. Even cockroaches and spiders had joined the growing army standing in defence of the city. Within a minute, Hecate landed at the wall, and so did a flurry of bats. Ripred didn't waste any time. He walked up to the nearest guard at the wall and snapped at him, "Give me an update!"

"The schemers just appeared about a few hundred metres from our wall a few minutes ago, Lord Ripred. They seem to be carrying hostages, and have placed a number of remains at our front gate," the guard replied emotionlessly.

Ripred looked over the wall and jerked backwards in surprise. "Oh no," he breathed.

The entire plain in front of Regalia was littered with corpses. Mutilated rat and mouse bodies were clumped to one side. On the other side lay the largest mass of bodies Calvin had ever seen in his life. It was a mountain of antennae, mandibles, and legs. Calvin's stomach flipped at the sight of it. "They extinguished the cutters," said Ripred bleakly, "they killed all of them. Warn the King of this sight immediately."

Suddenly, a hammering noise came from the double doors. "It's a gnawer, Lord Ripred!" a guard called out, "he's calling for us to let him in!"

Ripred analysed the distance between the foxes and Regalia, before replying, "Let him in."

The double doors were heaved open, and a bedraggled rat stumbled into the city. His fur was matted with blood, and his incisors were broken. He was dragging one of his hind legs, which was twisted in an awkward angle, and he had lost one eye. However, Ripred seemed to recognise the rat immediately. He scampered over to the rat, who collapsed onto the ground. Calvin followed quickly to find out what was happening.

"Clawsin, what happened?" Ripred asked, as he furiously gestured for medical staff to come forward.

"Lord Ripred... the schemers… they killed all the cutters… the cutters are now ext… extinct… they took us bu sur… sur… surprise… they didn't kill… kill all of us… many hostages… many dead… my mate… my pups…" Clawsin said, gasping for breath.

"How many of them, Clawsin? How many schemers are there?" Ripred pressed.

"Easily over ten thousand… twice the size of the army we were led to believe they had… they will kill hostages everyday if we don't surrender… they will… kill us all… the race of gnawers will be gone… Lord Ripred," he wheezed out, before sinking into unconsciousness.

As medical staff carried Clawsin away, Ripred was quiet for a while. Finally he turned tail and headed back towards the battlements, where Conrad and Mareth were waiting. "The most gruesome sight in my tenure as king," said Conrad simply, as Calvin and Ripred approached them.

"Not that I was particularly fond of the cutters, but… that is just brutal. Absolutely brutal," Ripred said, eyeing the plains once more.

Mareth nodded in agreement, but didn't add anything further to the conversation. They all stared at the scene quietly, before Conrad spoke up, "What are we going to do?"

"What's your plan?" Ripred asked Conrad.

Conrad shook his head, saying, "I have none as of now, general. But perhaps they do," he said pointing at the flag of truce the schemers were holding up.

Ripred stared at it for a while, before grunting, "Mareth, you flank me and bring your two best guards along. Overlander, follow me as well."

Calvin was going to ask why, but decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was to agitate an already agitated Ripred. Mareth quickly gathered two guards, and the five of them headed towards the middle of the plain, where Brutus was waiting with another four foxes of his own. Brutus gazed at them with amusement written all over his face. However, when he saw Calvin, he shot him an icy smile instead.

"Where's your cowardly King Flavius? Tell him that if he has any guts, he should come out now and duel me to the death. Rager on rager," Ripred spat at Brutus.

Brutus sighed, and with a tinge of sarcasm, said, "Oh dear. And here I was expecting to exchange pleasantries."

"There are no pleasantries when you and your lily-livered King hold claws over the gnawers' throats," Ripred replied frostily.

"Oh, you have no need to be so dramatic, Lord Ripred. We only have a couple of thousand gnawers, and not the whole population. Throw in another couple of thousand crawlers and nibblers combined. We only kill about ten hostages a day, meaning that at the end of about a year then we would have run out of our supply. And I highly doubt your kingdom can resist our siege for a year," responded Brutus.

"Where is Flavius? I want to meet the king of the pathetic, weak-minded schemers," snarled Ripred.

"Do you think we are so weak? You arrogant fool, we have decimated the gnawer, nibbler and crawler populations outside of Regalia. We have single-handedly exterminated the cutter species. We threaten the very existence of the greatest city in the Underland. We have a weapon of mass destruction almost fully prepared to attack you. And you think us weak? What do YOU think Overlander?" he said, grinning at Calvin.

"I think I want to slice your throat, and carve your heart out with my blade," replied Calvin calmly.

"Feisty, like his father. I wonder where his father is. Oh yes, I remember, your father is dead. Killed for trying to save a city that is about to be destroyed right now. Your father died a pathetic death for a pathetic city," Brutus mocked Calvin.

Calvin felt himself simmering with anger. He reached for the hilt of his blade, but a firm hand gripped his arm. "Don't give in to provocation, Overlander," Mareth told Calvin. Eventually, Calvin slowly but surely let go of his sword.

"Easily baited I see," Brutus observed. He then stretched nonchalantly and returned his attention back to Ripred.

"Here's the deal, Lord Ripred," Brutus began, "You can choose to cower behind your battlements for a week, while we starve your population and attack your sentries once in a while during this period of time. By the end of the week, we have our weapon fully automated and we obliterate your city to rubble and dust. The other alternative is that you can surrender your city to us now, while we proceed to capture your citizens but keep them alive. This ensures the natural progression of this situation with minimal casualties. Our plan continues smoothly without a hitch, your citizens don't die. Which alternative sounds more enticing to you?"

Ripred bared his teeth into a vicious snarl. "The alternative where I get to tear your throat-"

But Mareth interrupted Ripred before he could speak any further. "We cannot make this decision here and now. It is the king and the council that makes this decision. Give us two days to discuss and deliberate, and at the end of the two days we promise we will return with our answer."

Brutus seemed to consider the request. Meanwhile, Calvin saw Ripred shoot a slight glare at Mareth, but Mareth seemed to have nerves of steel, as he totally ignored Ripred. Finally, Brutus answered, "Alright. You have two days. But we know of your quest. If your quest members attempt to leave during these days, we will attack immediately. And we will spare you from any form of mercy. Remember, you have two days." With that final warning, Brutus stalked off with the other foxes.

Mareth and Ripred both turned around and walked back to the city, a puzzled expression on their faces. "How does he know of the quest?" asked Ripred, who seemed absolutely shell-shocked.

"I have no clue," replied Mareth, "but we need to call an emergency meeting as soon as possible."

"Knowing the queen and the Council, they have already arranged a meeting to name the members of the quest. I presume they plan to take our best fighters, and the Overlander," Ripred snorted, casting a sidelong glance at Calvin.

"There is also the issue of the schemers knowing of our quest," Mareth reminded Ripred.

A sudden realisation seemed to dawn on the rat. "We have a spy within our ranks," said Ripred quietly.

Mareth seemed taken aback, but then replied weakly, "Murellus. I thought we could trust him."

"We need to kill him immediately," Ripred said simply.

They were quickly granted entry into the city and were about to board their respective fliers to head back to the palace when a guard yelled out, "General Mareth! Lord Ripred! You will want to see this!"

Ripred, Calvin and Mareth quickly made their way to the battlements, where they saw the foxes hauling half a dozen rats forward. They placed the rats next to the corpses of their friends. Ripred inhaled sharply at the sight. "They're going to be executed in front of us," he whispered.

Brutus rested his icy gaze on Ripred and smiled. He then slit the throat of the rat he was holding on to. The rat began to gurgle and choke on his own blood. The process was taking rather long, and Calvin could hear the tension on the wall beginning to heighten. Finally, the rat was killed and his body was tossed amongst his brethren.

Brutus waved his paw in the air and the other foxes ruthlessly tore the throats of the rat hostages out using their teeth. Calvin noticed some of the rats on the wall stiffening, and he even heard a rat on the wall howling out, "Deadeye! My son!" The heart-wrenching sob of that rat on the wall strung a myriad of feelings in Calvin's heart. Pity for the rat, hate for the foxes, and a sheer will to kill Brutus.

"I will kill them all," Ripred said darkly, "I will leave their corpses rotting out for the whole of the Underland to see."

"I'm sorry for the loss of your people, Ripred," Mareth said consolingly, "but we have to go now."

Ripred quickly turned to leave, but not before barking an order out, "If any schemer comes within shooting range of our walls, slay them immediately." With that, he climbed onto Hecate, and Calvin clambered up as well. Hecate began the quiet flight towards the palace.

When they landed, Ripred bounded straight for the Council room, and Calvin had to sprint to keep up with him. Ripred burst through the door, just to find Murellus standing on the centre stage, talking to the council. Without second thought, Ripred slammed his full weight into Murellus and pinned him against the wall. "Any last words, you ugly, low-life backstabber?" Ripred hissed in fury at Murellus, as he wrapped his claws around the fox's neck, strangling him.

"L-Lor-Lord… Rip-Ripred… what… have I done?" Murellus choked out as he suffocated. By now, all those assembled had exploded in a mix of confusion and shock welded together.

"Ripred, what in Sandwich are you doing? Let go of the schemer!" one council member called out. However, Ripred only tightened his grip on Murellus' neck. Murellus' body was beginning to go slack.

"Ripred, what is this madness! Let go of Murellus! We need him!" roared Conrad. Ripred paid no heed to his words and continued to strangle Murellus. Murellus looked like he was going to pass out any second.

"Guards, bring Lord Ripred down!" yelled Conrad, but Mareth raised his hand. "Stand down," he told the guards firmly. In the end, the guards were left confused and a half-hearted attempt to attack Ripred was defeated when the rat swept the guard aside with his tail.

Conrad and Mareth then began to argue with each other, and Vikus then jumped into the argument, reprimanding them both, as angry voices began to dominate the noise in the room. Ripred locked eyes with Murellus, who was now thrashing furiously, and Calvin saw him whisper to the schemer, "Die, wretch."

In the midst of all this chaos, one woman stood up and said, "Ripred, let him go."

Ripred's grip on the schemer slackened, and Murellus dropped to the ground with a yelp of pain, before the schemer passed out. The whole council then turned to face Luxa, who had ordered Ripred to stand down. "Gnawers are dying out there, Luxa," Ripred said, shaking with fury, "gnawers I promised to protect. Gnawers that are being brutally slaughtered because this schemer has been feeding us wrong information about the schemer armies and has been feeding them our plans. They know of our quest Luxa, and if it goes ahead, then they will extinguish the race of gnawers. You saw what they did to the cutters. I knew I was wrong to trust this miserable piece of trash. But I'm going to right my wrong," he said, eyes ablaze with sheer hate and anger. He turned back onto the unconscious Murellus, and reared back to sink his fangs into the fox.

"Ripred," Luxa said sharply, "leave the schemer alone. If he has done wrong, he will go through a trial, as is our customs."

Ripred spun around to face Luxa. "You do not command me, O Mighty and Gracious Queen Luxa. Not when I have gnawer parents losing their pups, not when gnawers are losing their mates, not when gnawers are losing their brothers and sisters and friends, and most certainly not when this wretch behind me has caused it."

Luxa's expression softened slightly in pity, but then hardened again. "The schemer is innocent, Lord Ripred. We have had him under secure watch throughout his stay in Regalia. There communicated with the other schemers. You have no evidence, and are merely attacking him out of anger and fear for your people's safety. For that I pardon your actions," Luxa stated firmly.

"Are you blind, Luxa? They know of the quest. They KNOW of it. They attacked with an army twice the size of one we believed they had. They know we haven't expected an attack, and have ravaged countless populations across the Underland. Who knows, they may have even taken the Fount. Susannah and York are staying there. Your uncles and aunts. Think of them! Their lives are in jeopardy if we trust this bloody schemer," Ripred snarled, as Murellus began to stir behind him.

Luxa was quiet for a while. Finally, she said, "I am not convinced he is a traitor. Remember Ripred, you were in the same position as Murellus once. Helping your sworn enemies," Luxa reminded Ripred.

Ripred gnashed his teeth furiously. "Of course you wouldn't believe me. And what can I say? You are as stubborn as a mule, Vikus and Conrad are weak at heart, and the council is full of rotten old nutheads,. Try fighting a war without me, Queen Luxa," he spat bitterly, and he stormed out of the council room.

"That went well," Murellus growled in that croaky voice of his, as he rubbed his throat.

"Silence, schemer. We are going to announce the members of the quest," said Luxa sternly. Murellus duly closed his mouth.

"First and foremost, we have established that we need an Overlander on this trip. As the only healthy Overlander left in the city, Calvin Oberton will go," Luxa announced. Calvin nodded in response.

"Next, we have chosen a number of the best warriors in Regalia and a number of delegates to go. The humans are Erik Albertson, Arthur McDouglas, Hadrian Kelt, Edward Blane, Alfred Daggard and Donegan Kallahan."

"The gnawers are Lapblood, Flickmeat, Flyfur, Sixclaw and Gnasher."

"The fliers are Queen Nike, Hecate, Demeter, Icarus, Perseus, Ariadne, Oedipus and Agamemnon."

"The nibblers are Cypher, Gradient, Apex and Vector."

"Temp will follow as a representative of the cockroaches, and Murellus will act as the guide for the quest."

Species by species Luxa announced the best fighters who would be going on the perilous mission to kill Flavius and destroy the missiles. Finally she announced, "The leader for this mission will be Lapblood, who is the most senior member of the mission. This position was originally intended for Ripred, but he will not be joining the quest."

Calvin looked up in surprise. "Are you deliberately banning Ripred from participating on this mission with us?"

Luxa regarded Calvin coldly. "Ripred must learn that his insolence and defiance will not be tolerated in a crisis such as this," she confirmed.

"That's ridiculous! He is Regalia's best fighter! We need him on that mission more than ever! Sure, he was mildly rude to you a few minutes ago. He was just concerned for the well-being of his people. As a leader of your people, would you not care for the well-being of your own people?" Calvin blustered.

"Do not question the care I have for my people," Luxa replied frostily.

"I don't. I question your rationale behind firing Ripred from a position where Regalia can benefit. I know you have a good side, Luxa. You don't have to act firm on the outside. Are you really going to ban Ripred from helping us because he acted impulsively and out of anger because his people were dying?" Calvin said patiently.

Some members of the audience began to cough and pretended to look away. Calvin had a feeling that they were not used to seeing their queen questioned so much."You heard Ripred yourself, Overlander. He walked away from his position. He demanded to see how we take the fight to the schemers without him. And we will prove that we can fight a war without our best fighter. Because till today, Regalia has not, and never will be, solely dependent on a single fighter. And don't use my occasional bouts of emotion as a form of weakness, Overlander. Exploit my 'soft side' one more time, and you will live to regret it," Luxa threatened.

This time, Calvin restrained himself from lashing out at the stupidity of Luxa. He could not afford to be on the bad side of Luxa. Seeing how angering her could sway her opinion so wildly, Calvin decided to shut up.

Just as Luxa was about to dismiss them, Nerissa came running forward to the stage. "Halt all the proceedings!" she called out, evidently struggling to strain her voice so that the whole council room could hear her. Luxa raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, cousin?" she asked, visibly annoyed.

"I have had a dream," Nerissa murmured, as if in a trance, "that the mission will fail unless we enlist the help of a certain girl."

Nerissa cleared her throat.

"That girl's name is Hero, daughter of York. Our cousin, Luxa."

**Well, that's that for me. I won't be writing a Christmas special, because I'm going to spend more time with my family. They are an important driving force behind my life so far, after all. **

**Christmas is a time of togetherness, and happiness, and most of all, hope. I hope that all my readers be like Vikus, and treasure hope greatly, because that is, and always will be, a focal point of our existence. And there is no better time to celebrate that than during Christmas, the season of hope. Whether you are experiencing bad times or not, I hope this Christmas season inspires you to enjoy and treasure your time on earth.**

**With that, I would like to wish all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!**


	11. Chapter 11: Escape Plan

**Hello readers! I hope you have had an awesome Christmas so far! Thank you for all the reviews that have come in, especially from 4sdzvrh! Your reviews have provided constructive feedback that has been extremely useful, and I cannot find the words to express to you how grateful I am to you for that. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, and I will be working to include more plot twists and action sequences involving Calvin in the story. I have taken into account some improvements you have suggested, and rest assured that I will be working on combining my own ideas with them.**

**As for haha77, and other readers awaiting the appearance of Gregor, I am sorry, because he will not feature in this story. However, I have already planned to write a sequel, and he will feature very prominently in it. That being said, I encourage you all to continue reading this story, as this story will play a pivotal role in how the second story involving Gregor turns out. But once again, special thanks to haha77 for reviewing my story.**

**Once again, I wish all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!**

**Chapter 11: Escape Plan**

Calvin felt his stomach do a little somersault. Hero? Why Hero? His feelings for her seemed complicated, and now she was coming along? He honestly didn't know whether to feel excited or upset or alarmed or delighted or... Calvin could not control his mind from whirling with all kinds of confusing thoughts about Hero.

He saw Hero emerge from the crowd, looking genuinely frightened. She gulped slightly, before turning to Luxa, who still seemed to be in a state of shock. Nerissa only smiled placidly at hero, and didn't say anything further. A member of the audience suddenly yelled out, "This is ludicrous! She is merely a young girl! How can we subject her to such a mission? And she isn't even one of our best fighters!"

"I know that. But I have seen the fate of this quest. And it is doomed for failure if she does not join it. I cannot even begin to explain how important she is to the quest. Without her, Regalia loses hope of survival. I understand your doubts, but I call on all who are assembled here to trust me," Nerissa replied diplomatically.

"There are already many members of this quest. If we include her, there will be a strain on all other fighters of this quest to protect her," another woman pointed out.

"I understand that. Yet none of us here, including me, can even begin to fathom how crucial she is to the quest. From what I can see, if we need to reduce numbers, I would rather take a number of fighters out of this quest for Hero," Nerissa responded, seeming adamant in pushing Hero into the quest.

Finally, Luxa recovered from her earlier state of shock, and quickly spoke up, "I am not one who believes visions so easily, but seeing as how convinced Nerissa is of the need for Hero's presence, then I agree to add her in. That is, unless Hero herself objects to it. Hero, do you agree to become part of this quest?"

Once again, butterflies began to flit in Calvin's stomach. Would she say yes? Why would it matter to him? Calvin swallowed nervously as he awaited her response. Hero looked down on the ground for a while. When she looked up again, tears seemed to glisten in her eyes. "Will I come out of it alive?" she asked Nerissa.

Nerissa shrugged. "My dream did not show me your fate in the end."

"Do you know how I play my role in the quest's success?" Hero pressed.

"Yes, child, although I feel that if I reveal it now, your purpose will instantly become undermined and the quest will fail," Nerissa answered, although she seemed to be staring at Calvin while she said that.

Hero took another while to look at the ground. Finally she raised her voice above the noisy chatter of the crowd and said, "I will go on the quest!"

Calvin felt his heart leap for a second. It seemed almost as if he felt… pleased, that she was coming. He shook his head again to clear his mind from those unusual feelings. His entire head was shrouded with thoughts of her.

A hush descended on the crowd. An air of pity seemed to develop around Calvin, and he noticed people staring at her sadly, even pitifully. "So be it," Luxa replied stoutly, "the meeting is adjourned here. The quest members may take a short break, but I would like to meet all here again two hours from now."

Suddenly, a boy sprang forward from the crowd and proclaimed, "If Hero is going on this quest, then so shall I!"

Calvin squinted, and on closer inspection, realised it was Harold. He couldn't help but feel fresh feelings of anger towards Harold, and could even say he despised Harold. And yet Harold had done nothing to him. Calvin's head was a wreck at the moment. He couldn't even understand why he felt so strongly for Hero and against Harold. He wasn't used to these feelings. And he had no intention of letting them remain. They were a big distraction.

"I am courting her. I need to protect her!" Harold demanded.

"I believe we speak on the behalf of the council when I say that we have never allowed a member to join a quest out of love, especially when the love is at such a young age," replied Nerissa seriously, even though Calvin noticed a flicker of laughter play on Nerissa's lips for a second, "and I seriously believe that your presence on the quest may prove to be detrimental."

Just as Luxa was about to respond, Calvin saw a flash of sadness streak across her eyes, but she steeled herself to say, "I, of all people, understand what love means to you. But it cannot… cannot affect how you react to certain situations."

"No, I must go. It is imperative that someone who loves her takes care of her," Harold answered obstinately.

"Oh great. Now we have to watch the two lovebirds kissing while we have to watch guard," Lapblood grumbled. Everybody in the audience save Harold and Hero then instantaneously bit their lower lip to stifle themselves from erupting into laughter. Hero just looked ownright embarrassed by Harold's outburst, while Harold was flushing a scarlet red with anger.

"No,"Luxa replied tersely, "we will no longer tolerate your protestations, Harold. Please join the rest of the audience in leaving the council room. As mentioned earlier, the council is now adjourned. The quest members are to meet me in two hours' time."

Harold glared at her intensely for a few seconds, but Luxa appeared indifferent to it. Finally, he stormed out of the council room, unleashing profanity after profanity on his way out. Calvin just rolled his eyes and headed towards the corridor where Mareth was waiting.

"I don't understand what Luxa is trying to do," Calvin said, shaking his head, "she might have just made the decision to kill us all."

Mareth shrugged. "She can be stubborn."

"That doesn't entitle her to being stupid," Calvin replied angrily.

Mareth eyed Calvin for a moment. "Calvin, if I were you, I would remain cautious and choose my next few words carefully. You may have an opinion, but you should keep it to yourself. As I have suggested to others like you before, not everyone here is your friend." With that, Mareth strolled off.

Calvin frowned unhappily, but in the end realised that Mareth was right. Harold and Kent certainly weren't his friends. He didn't trust many people, and he was sure most people didn't trust him. He wasn't even that close to Ripred.

Just then, Hero made her way past him, shooting him an angry glare. Calvin was immediately taken aback. "What did I do?" he called out to her as she breezed past him without greeting him.

Hero spun round, disappointment written all over her face. "I saw you in the council room! You were laughing at me and Harold. You could have stood up for us but you chose to keep quiet and silently giggle away," she said accusingly, "I expected more from you, Calvin."

Calvin thought about responding passionately and aggressively, but instead chose to reply calmly, "My intention was not to hurt your feelings Hero. I am only human. We laugh when we think something is funny. And I thought that what Lapblood said was funny."

Tears welled up in Hero's eyes. She bit her lower lip, and then in a shaky voice, said, "Well, if you really cared about me, then you would have thought about my feelings!" With that, she turned and walked down the corridor.

"Hero, are you alright?" a male voice from behind Calvin called out.

Calvin and Hero simultaneously turned around to see a tall, young man, who was wearing a doctor's coat. He was decent looking, and even appeared slightly similar to Hero in terms of their facial features.

"I'm fine," Hero replied stiffly, before quickening her pace and hurrying down the corridor.

The man only sighed. "Greetings Calvin, I believe we haven't had the pleasure of meeting each other yet. I am Doctor Howard, and I'm taking care of your caretaker Mr Bennett. He is close to consciousness, and I assure you that you will see him before you set off on your quest." He extended his hand in an attempt to shake Calvin's hand.

Calvin shook his hand firmly. "Thanks, Doctor Howard. I owe you my utmost gratitude," Calvin replied, trying to sound as formal and dignified as possible.

Howard smiled warmly in return. "You're welcome. But why was my sister so angsty earlier?"

"Hero's your sister?" Calvin asked incredulously.

"Yes, she happens to be. Many of us here are related. For example, Nerissa and Luxa are my cousins, and Vikus is my grandfather. In such a small city, you will find that some of us are related in one way or another," replied Howard, with an evident twinkle in his eye.

Calvin was taken aback with this revelation. "Luxa's grandfather is Vikus?"

Howard nodded politely. "Indeed he is. Her parents are dead, and so is her grandmother. He is her last guiding light in her life. Well, I would like to count myself as her older brother somewhat, but then again she never listens to me," he said with a chuckle.

"I'm not surprised," Calvin snorted.

Howard only laughed. "You know, she's not always that bad. She inherited some of her grandfather's genes, so she has some good in her. The stubborn part comes from our late grandmother."

A sudden thought struck Calvin, and he couldn't help himself from blurting out, "If you are related to Luxa, this puts you in the royal family as well. Why is it I didn't meet you that night at the dinner when I met Luxa's other cousins such as Hazard?" He then looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed for asking the question so impolitely.

"There is no need to feel ashamed of what you just said," Howard answered kindly, "many have asked us such a question in a much cruder manner. While we are not often present in Regalia, my parents are in charge of another human city called The Fount. We hail from there. The only reason why you see me and Hero here is because I serve as Chief Doctor in Regalia and Hero is courting Harold. However, I suspect you will meet more of my family members soon. The Fount is unstable at the moment. If we survive the siege, the schemers will attack the Fount. So we will flee here."

Calvin nodded slowly. "Well, I'm going for a break. Pleasure to meet you Doctor Howard. Thank you for divulging some information with me."

"The pleasure is all mine, Calvin. I will let you know when your caretaker wakes up. I estimate he will wake up a few hours from now," Howard said with a bow, before striding off towards the hospital again.

Calvin made his way on foot to the arena, which appeared deserted at that moment. He picked up a blade and walked over to one of the dummies. He practised swinging his blade to hit certain weak points on the human dummy and the fox dummy. The limbs, the eyes, the neck… Mr Carter had taught him all these things. Calvin wondered how Mr Carter was doing at the moment. How was life going back in the Overland? Was he reported missing? Was his disappearance on national television? Would Mr Carter know where he was going?

He tried to ignore these thoughts and distractions, focussing on hacking the dummies. But the thoughts of the Overland began to intrude into his mind again, and endless streams of thoughts flooded his mind. Mr Bennett… his father… Hero… Vikus… Luxa...

Shouting with frustration, he whipped out his Berrett and fired six shots and the fox dummy, blowing its head off. "That's an interesting weapon you have there," a weary voice called out from behind.

Calvin whirled around to find Ripred slouched against the wall, yawning and exposing his razor sharp teeth. "They kicked you off the team," Calvin informed Ripred bluntly.

"Oh, I am so surprised. I did not see that coming," Ripred slurred.

Calvin decided to ignore the rat's sarcasm. "You know we need you," he told Ripred, "or we're all going to die."

Ripred waved his paw in the air dismissively. "You'll be fine," he responded nonchalantly.

Calvin lost his cool. "Stop it! We need you to help us! I don't care what Luxa says! In fact, I trust you more than Luxa! Look, even if you don't care about me, care about Regalia. Care about your people, your family. Do you not care about all of them?"

Ripred's eyes suddenly lit up with anger. "Do you really think I do not care about my family? My people? Look at me, boy. Look into my eyes. And now you know I'm telling the truth that showing my care for people has gotten me nowhere. My family is at the bottom of the river, separated from me by the very people who are barking orders at me. My fellow gnawers are being torn to shreds by schemers. Forgive me if I refuse to show any care for you, Calvin," snarled Ripred.

For a moment, Calvin forgot the anger Ripred was showing him, but instead focussed on the pain that Ripred was exhibiting in his eyes. A pang of sympathy shot up through Calvin as he remembered Ripred's story about his family. Instead of glaring at Ripred, or retorting back at him, he said to him, "I'm sorry for what I said. I understand how you feel."

Ripred stopped bristling with anger, and his expression softened for a moment. "In a sense, we're not very different, you and I," Ripred said after a lengthy silence, "because you are a son without parents, and I'm a father without children. And we both fight for a city which we officially have no allegiance to."

Calvin nodded, almost a little sadly. Ripred cleared his throat, before saying, "That weapon of yours. The pistol. It is a secret weapon that can be played on the schemers if the situation becomes desperate. I would suggest you use swords at the start, but when you meet Flavius, blow his brains out with that gun. Do you have more of these?"

"Yes."

"How many of them?"

"Three."

"Bring all of them. But store them away. I suspect you will have to use them at least once before you meet Flavius. Never mind. Keep the strongest pistol a secret. There is a traitor in Regalia, even if it isn't the schemer. The traitor might even be on the quest. I suggest you don't tell anyone about it except Lapblood, her children, Hecate, Nike and Temp. Only trust those few. Promise to me you will keep this secret," Ripred advised Calvin.

"I promise," Calvin replied.

Ripred seemed satisfied with Calvin's answer. "Good," said Ripred, who suddenly seemed very exhausted. He mustered up some strength to say, "This is my last piece of advice to you. Remember that night, when I talked to you about legacies? What I've been trying to say is that essentially, you will be compared in every aspect to the Warrior. Do not be daunted by that. Do not be frustrated by those comparisons. You can always step up and create your own legacy. You cannot always live in the shadow of the Warrior's legacy. Or it might threaten to crush you," Ripred said ominously.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Calvin.

"Because I have always felt that it is my allegiance to teach my students what is best for them," responded Ripred.

A ripple of surprise surged through Calvin. "I'm… I'm your student?" Calvin stuttered.

Ripred snorted. "Don't get your hopes up too high. You're not my student per say, but I have a strange feeling of protectiveness over you like I had for the Warrior. I am confident in your abilities, boy. You may not be a rager, but I'm sure you're capable of holding your own."

"What's a rager?" Calvin inquired.

"That's a story for another day," Ripred replied brusquely, "all you need to know is that the warrior's legacy may be immortal, but you don't have to fall under it. Be a trailblazer. Forge your own reputation. And you will find in yourself an inner strength you have never known before."

"Your thoughts are so... deep," Calvin remarked.

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Are you going to listen to my advice or not?"

Calvin nodded quickly. "I will, Ripred, but I think it's time for me to leave and hurry along."

Ripred waved his paw in the air. "Go off. But remember my advice, boy. My advice always come in handy."

Calvin just nodded and walked back towards the palace, reflecting on Ripred's advice. How could he destroy a legacy of Overlanders that was immortal? How could he imprint himself into a nation's history, and create a legacy far greater than the Warrior's legacy?

Just as Calvin was about to make his way to the council room, Howard intercepted him. "You will be pleased to hear that Mr Bennett is awake. He is weak, but he's much better. You can visit him now," said Howard with a smile.

Calvin could barely contain his excitement. "Could you please direct me to his room?" Calvin asked as politely as he could.

Howard nodded, and with a smile, said, "That's the plan." He quickly led Calvin down a series of unfamiliar winding corridors, that eventually led to a series of rooms, with glass panels for visitors to peer through. Calvin was led into one of the rooms, and found himself staring at Mr Bennett, who was lying comfortably on the bed. Mr Bennett's face lit up with pure glee.

"Calvin! It's so good to see you!" Mr Bennett exclaimed.

Calvin found himself running up to Mr Bennett to embrace him, something which he hadn't done since he was a toddler. He had always been fairly formal with Mr Bennett, and treated him nicely, but they hadn't been so close for a long time. Calvin felt a surge of gratitude towards Mr Bennett. "How are you, Mr Bennett?" he asked.

"Fine," replied Mr Bennett generically, before saying, "I still feel like a sack of bones, but I believe I've felt worse before. I think I'm getting old."

"We all do," Vikus remarked, as he entered the room, "Welcome to Regalia, Mr Bennett."

"Thank you, but who are you exactly?" Mr Bennett asked, lacking his normally refined tone.

"I am Vikus. I believe your master Richard knew me," Vikus introduced himself.

"Indeed he has," Mr Bennett confirmed, "and he spoke well of you."

"Has he now? Well, I must say that is a pleasant surprise. I think I should leave Calvin with you so you may speak privately. However, your presence is required in the council room in ten minutes," said Vikus politely before exiting the room.

Mr Bennett shot him a questioning look. "Why are you going to their council? Why are you wearing armour? And what happened after I collapsed?"

Calvin decided to condense the events of the past two days as fast as possible. He told Mr Bennett about how Ripred and Regalia's fliers fended off the foxes, and his introduction to the key people in Regalia. He then spoke of the tour he had with Vikus, and the dinner they had that night. He decided to exclude what happened during his "late night rendezvous" the previous night.

Calvin then went on to talk about the meeting in the council room, and the details that were divulged there. Furthermore, he included the whole sequence of events that happened in the arena, except the part where he felt awkward feelings for Hero. He then went on to discuss the siege of Regalia, and the ruthless cruelty of General Brutus and his schemers. Finally, he concluded with Ripred's confrontation with Queen Luxa, and his inclusion amongst the quest members.

Mr Bennett nodded slowly. "Seems like you've been very busy in my absence," he observed.

Calvin shrugged. "I've seen a lot throughout these past twenty-four hours. And there is more to come."

Mr Bennett leaned forward. "I don't have much advice to give. All I can tell you is to be careful, and to keep yourself safe. Don't do anything rashly. Always stay close to someone you trust. And do not walk straight to your death without considering the big picture," Mr Bennett pleaded.

"What the heck does that even mean?" Calvin said, scrunching up his face.

"It means don't throw your life away without thinking of the people around you and the people back in New York," Mr Bennett explained.

Just then, a guard walked through the doorway. "Overlander, the Queen summons you to the Council room," he said stiffly.

"Remember my advice, Calvin," Mr Bennett called out as Calvin left the room. Calvin just waved. Perhaps the wave was a little sad, but Calvin knew that there was a chance he might not see his caretaker again.

Starting to become more familiar with the corridors, Calvin made his way to the Council room with little assistance from the guard. As he entered the room, he realised that all the members of the quest had already gathered. All eyes in the room swivelled to meet him. He glanced quickly at Hero, but she seemed determined not to meet his gaze. He cleared his throat. "Sorry for being late," he apologized.

"You are excused," Luxa said, dismissing his lack of punctuality quickly. She swiftly got down to business. "The schemers say that we cannot go on our quest, or we will be attacked by the schemers. Under attack by such vast numbers and with the additional threat of miss… miss… missides… or is it missiles... yes missiles," Luxa said, struggling to pronounce 'missiles', "Regalia will surely fall. However, we have devised a simple plan to solve the problem. However, it is tricky to execute, so all here have to listen up carefully."

The quest members all became a little bit restless. Calvin had a feeling that nobody wanted to be part of a plan difficult to execute. Calvin knew these types of plans often went awry and bad things tended to happen.

"Our scouts have observed that the schemers have a slight weakness in their siege. The number of schemers that are deployed near the Waterway are particularly few. If you all escape down the river, then you can sail down to one of the banks near the forest, where your journey will continue towards the schemers' main base of operations. However, the lack of guards at the Waterway might be a deliberate ploy by the schemers to lure out our quest members, where we will be slaughtered easily," Luxa said grimly.

That was when Conrad stepped in. "That being said, we have developed a plan to counter this problem. We will send a number of soldiers dressed as fishermen, to check if the schemers are present in the area. If they are not, the soldiers will send a signal for you to come. If the schemers have set up a trap there, the soldiers will pretend to be ignorant fishermen, but will still send a signal. Not for you all, but for reinforcements."

Conrad paused for a while to let his words sink in. "The reinforcements will come, pretending to be under the impression that the fishermen were assaulted, breaking the truce that was struck between both sides. Amidst all the confusion, you will sail down the river and escape the chaos. Hopefully the schemers will not notice, for we will cover your scent in fish. Then your quest will resume from there, while you all are on your own."

There was an awkward silence, before lapblood commented, "I hate smelling like trout."

What she said wasn't particularly funny, but every quest member in the council room cracked up anyway. They were all so incredibly nervous. The fate of the Underland rested on all their shoulders. Agamemnon, one of the massive bats, wrinkled up his nose and said, "Unlike most fliers, I agree with you. Fliers generally love fish, but I prefer not to consume them."

"Great. Now all the fliers except for Agamemnon will gorge themselves on us," Lapblood said grumpily, and everybody started laughing again. Calvin realised that in retrospect, it sounded quite offensive, but everyone was so tense that they needed some humour.

"You all better get some rest before tonight. You have about three hours to gain as much as rest as possible. Tonight will be a long night. You'll need the sleep," concluded Conrad solemnly.

"Report to the armoury in three hours' time. From there, we will lead you to the river, where the plan will be executed," added Luxa.

"Schemers there are, how many, schemers there are?" inquired Temp.

"As mentioned earlier, temp, we're not sure. But we estimate that the number of guards present will number between five and ten," answered Luxa.

"Enough for me to kill," mused Sixclaw.

Flyfur shot her brother a look. "We should avoid battle where possible," she said frowning.

Temp's antennae shifted from side to side agitatedly. "Dangerous, this be, dangerous," he said uneasily.

Luxa seemed to be concerned by temp's words, but Conrad seemed to ignore them. "Keep your worries to yourself for now, Temp. We should not let it hinder ou… the quest," he said, correcting himself.

With that, the members were dismissed. Calvin headed straight for his room, where he lay on his bed. He decided to attempt to sleep, no matter how difficult it was, though. Slowly but surely, his eyelids began to droop, and the dark feeling of sleep began to embrace him and enshroud him. He felt words beginning to seep into his mind.

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

He tried to ignore it, but just before he fell into the realms of slumber, he heard a voice say, "_Be on your guard, boy. Because I'm coming… FOR YOU._"

**Thank you to all those who have reviewed my story. I seemed to be caught in a slump for this one, as I struggled to write it. Nonetheless, this chapter is complete and I hope you have enjoyed it.**

**As the New year approaches during the next few hours, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have read and reviewed my story this past year. It has been full of ups and downs, but ultimately, I am satisfied with it. I wish for all of you to reflect on a good past year, and I hope all of you have an excellent 2015. This is adieu to 2014, but there are better things to come. **

**Happy New Year!**

_**For auld lang syne, my dear, **_

_**For auld lang syne!**_

_**We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,**_

_**For auld lang syne!**_

**Fly you high!**

**P.S. if you have any ideas on what adversities the quest members face on the quest, please feel free to share it.**


	12. Chapter 12: The King's Speech

**Hey Guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated, but I've been really busy since the New Year has come round. School restarted, and my lifestyle is kinda hectic, so I haven't gotten a chance in months to work on this story. To be blatantly honest with you, I am extremely disappointed by the number of reviews that have come. I need more constructive ideas to help my story and I'm a tad frustrated that I'm not getting enough suggestions. This has been a massive reason for me to quit, and I have actually come very close. Nevertheless, I will strive on and I hope that those enjoying my story continue to enjoy it. It is also partially my fault for not updating, but I intend to see this story out. However, special thanks to 4sdvzrh for his/her(?) incredible advice which I will address very soon.**

**But before that, here's a word of thanks to Nikolas Rubidoux-son of Hades. to be completely honest with you, you're one of the reasons why I have decided to continue my story. Thank you for your review, it's really heartwarming and encouraging. I hope you enjoy the rest of my story, and please continue to offer your reviews, if possible!**

**Anyway, with regards to your review 4sdzvrh, I have noticed certain character shifts that you have pointed out and I have taken note of your advice. What I'm trying to do is to create a hero with emotions who matures over his journey. Calvin can't be expected to keep his cool and his emotions in check since his life has been in turmoil for the past 24 hours. I'm trying to paint a realistic picture of an angsty teenager, who has been enveloped in a world he doesn't understand. And I understand your confusion about Ripred's character. Hopefully, as the story goes on, you will start to recognise Ripred from the original Underland Chronicles written by Suzanne Collins, and understand why I have portrayed Ripred as such. Anyway, thank you for your advice, and I will keep that in mind throughout my story.**

**Anyway, I apologize for my long introduction, but I think it was important, especially since I've been quite absent. Here is Chapter 12, ladies and gentlemen!**

**Chapter 12: The King's Speech**

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your FEAR and ANGUISH._"

"_COME OUT BOY! I CAN SMELL YOU, AND I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR AND ANGUISH!_"

"DIE, WRETCH!" Cavin roared and grabbed his pistol. He trained it on the moving shadow, and his finger tightened around the trigger, waiting for the fox to pounce. It never did. Calvin slumped back into his bed. It was all a dream. But it had felt so real, and had caused Calvin to begin sweating in his sleep again. He heaved a sigh of relief and stared into the darkness.

This time, he was sure of what he saw. A figure shrouded in shadow, hiding in the dark corners in his room. He snatched his gun from his table and once again aimed it into the darkness. "I know you're there. Show yourself!" he demanded.

The shadow hesitated for a split second, before stepping into range of the candlelight, revealing her pale complexion. "N-N-Nerissa?" Calvin stuttered, alarmed by her sudden and unexpected appearance in his room.

She smiled sadly. And a little creepily. "I don't mean to appear intrusive, Calvin the Overlander. I am merely here to talk with you about the upcoming quest that you will participate in," she explained simply.

Calvin shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He felt awkward speaking to a woman with such a formal tone while he was still in bed. Especially since she was staring and smiling at him creepily. "Uh-huh," he began, "so what do you want to talk about?"

"Your role in this quest will be the most important of all. Despite the fact that Lapblood has been chosen as leader, I believe that the one who must truly lead the quest is you," she said solemnly.

"Me?" Calvin asked in shock. Of all the absurd and outrageous claims she could have made, this was the most ridiculous of all. "I don't even know this place!" he exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted by the idea of him leading the quest.

Nerissa nodded away furiously. "This is true. For where others despair at the bleak situation of how things will turn out to be, you will find hope and motivation to strive on."

Calvin continued to stare forward, dumbfounded by what Nerissa had just said. Then he broke out into an awkward laugh. "And here I was thinking that you had no sense of humour. Why are you really here?"

Nerissa's smile faded from her face. "I am absolutely serious, Overlander," she replied, and Calvin heard a slight edge in her voice, "that you will be our only hope of success. And you will be the key to it."

"Me?" Calvin asked, surprised to hear bitterness and hatred entering his tone, "me? I know nothing of this Underland, full of monstrous creatures ten times their original size and people who speak and behave weirdly. I am only doing this for my father. I don't, and am not expecting, to be the key to success in this trip, Nerissa. I owe no allegiance to this place, and I have no intention of becoming its official hero suddenly, especially when it's coming from an irritating self-proclaimed vision-seer."

He immediately regretted what he had said. He was just acting out of impulse and realised how his short temper was affecting everyone around him. Nerissa's face registered surprise, and then hurt. "You cannot see what you have become, Calvin. Your father spoke of his son highly, commending his son for his humility and maturity. I see no such qualities in you."

Calvin couldn't think of anything else to say. All he did was croak out a weak, "Ok."

Nerissa got up, disappointment written all over her face. She made her way to his door, but just before leaving, she spoke up. "Overlander, I still have hope in you. You must believe in hope, Calvin. It is perhaps the greatest tool we have in our darkest moments. For when all hope is lost, then truly we have lost everything. Remember what I have said when the decision counts."

"What decision?" asked Calvin, still feeling bad about what he had said.

"The decision to let go of hope or not," Nerissa replied mysteriously. She paused for effect before finally concluding, "Good luck, Calvin the Overlander. Remember your importance. Never underestimate the strength of small deeds and actions. And you will step out of the warrior's legacy." With that she left.

Calvin hauled himself out of bed. He had spent the last few minutes pondering on nerissa's words. Apart from feeling bad about how he had responded, he reflected on the meaning of the words. Hope… Important tool… Leading the quest… and the warrior's legacy.

To be completely honest, Calvin was getting sick of being told to step out of the Warrior's limelight. He was completely fine with living in obscurity. But yet Ripred and now Nerissa had told him to step out of the shadow of the warrior's legacy. _Our legacy is immortal, _Calvin thought angrily to himself, but he quickly dispelled that notion. His legacy certainly wasn't going to be immortal. He had to follow in the footsteps of a legendary warrior who had a titanic statue erected in honour of him. There was no way Calvin was going to win that battle.

And yet, Calvin suddenly felt an obligation to do something for these people who were telling him to step out of the shadow of the warrior. Ripred, Nerissa… Mareth… Erik… these were some of the people trying to help him, and who had at least attempted to stick their necks out to protect him and shield him. He owed them something that ran deeper down than allegiance.

Calvin was suddenly reminded of a quote he had heard before. It was from a movie, probably the Hobbit, if Calvin's memory served him right. In that movie, Gandalf , an old wizard, had said, "Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... small acts of kindness and love."

And in that moment, Calvin knew that there was something new arising in him. It was beginning to develop him, to help him mature, to help him realise his true potential. That feeling was still budding, but it was changing him. Calvin began to feel a greater sense of responsibility and begin to doubt himself less. And deep down he knew why.

Because he knew that what he was experiencing was the feeling of hope.

Calvin quickly stuffed two of his guns into the front pocket of his bag, and then used the secret compartment of his bag to hide the third gun. He placed a few snacks into it, and then stuffed a few clothes he had brought into the bag as well. He had a feeling that the quest was going to be a long and complicated one.

He made his way out of the room, trying to keep his noise level down, as all the other quest members still had an allotted half an hour left to sleep. He rounded the bend and found himself face-to-face with Lapblood.

"Greetings, Lapblood," he said, trying to sound as respectful as possible.

Lapblood raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you? Ripred was grumbling about your foul temper earlier, when he was speaking to me," she commented.

Calvin shrugged. "I guess I was being a jerk, blowing up at everybody," he replied, once again trying to sound respectful and humble.

Lapblood's eyebrow moved up even higher. And then a questioning look replaced her disbelieving expression. "What's a jerk?"

Calvin cleared his throat. "That means I was being a difficult and nasty person," he explained.

Lapblood nodded before asking, "What made you think this way? Your demeanour seems to have changed much in the past few hours."

Calvin sighed. "I realise everybody has so much hope in me, and they're willing to fight and die for me. Yet I have acted like a prick and treated people badly. Ripred, Mareth… I owe them something. And the least I can do is be nice and cooperative."

Lapblood looked impressed. "That is actually very mature thinking. I don't know what a 'prick' is, but I'm going to assume it means something similar to 'jerk'. However, I must warn you against these impulses to be nice."

Calvin must have appeared incredibly startled, because Lapblood quickly continued speaking. "What I mean is that here in the Underland, especially in times such as these, being nice can be fatal. We are taught from young to be very wary of our surroundings. The Underland is a cruel and unforgiving world. One slip up could mean your doom. Being nice to everyone could lead to you trusting everyone too much, or being too close to everyone."

Lapblood's eyes darted around the hallway, before she leaned in. "There is a traitor within these walls. This traitor has divulged information to Flavius and his armies. That is how they know of our quest. You must be able to discern when it is time to… discuss certain matters. Ripred suspects a number of people, but his scent has deproved much over the years. He is old now. He cannot do the sniffing for us."

Calvin was alarmed by what Lablood said. "Then who do I trust?" he asked.

Lapblood snorted. "Use your common sense. You can trust me, Ripred, Mareth… but if you are not sure about us too, then trust nobody. Trust yourself."

She paused for a moment, before taking a long, deep sniff. "You have three guns. That much I know. You can, and should, use two of them throughout the course of this quest. They will serve you well. However, conceal the third one. If there really is a traitor on this quest, his lack of knowledge that you have a third weapon may prove crucial."

Calvin nodded in agreement. "So… when does the quest start?"

"Soon," Lapblood assured him, "In fact, I suggest you get suited up. We will meet at the exit from the city into the Waterway approximately half an hour from now."

"See you there," Calvin said, leaving for the armoury.

Calvin observed the different sets of armour on display. Most of them were dull, grey and uniform in design, but some were of brilliant colours. Those were probably owned by the rich nobles. Some had inscriptions on it, whether it was words or intricate drawings. Some had extra edges to the armour, either to increase the effect of intimidation or simply to look more impressive. Calvin's eyes settled on a piece of black armour lying in one corner.

It wasn't a particularly attractive piece of armour. It had the colour of ebony, and wasn't very large in size. In fact, it would barely fit Calvin. It looked a bit dusty and almost… ignored. His eyes were drawn to a label above that armour. The label read "The Warrior's Armour".

Of course. That explained the size, and the slight intimidation factor it brought along with it. Calvin wondered how the Warrior must have felt going into battle, especially at such a young age. He must have felt terrified, as did Calvin feel at that moment. And yet he had still gone into battle. He had fought all kinds of monsters this Underland had brought forth, and survived. Well, at least until he decided to kill himself. Calvin felt a little suspicious about that detail. Ripred and Vikus had not seemed very convinced themselves when they were explaining to Calvin how the Warrior killed himself.

An old woman shuffled into the armoury. She took one look at Calvin and her face lit up. "An Overlander!" she exclaimed in delight, "Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Calvin. Calvin Oberton," Calvin introduced himself politely.

"Calvin Oberton! You must be Richard's son, of course. How's your father? He left our city looking very troubled," the old woman commented.

Calvin stared at the floor. "My father... he's not around anymore," he answered stiffly.

The smile disappeared from the old woman's face. "Oh dear," she said, sounding heartbroken herself, "I'm so, so sorry. Richard was a lovely gentleman, and he must have been a fantastic father."

Calvin smiled sadly. "Yea, that he was."

The old woman suddenly brought her hands to her cheeks. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Miravet, and I generally work on anything to do with clothing or armour. I sew, fix, and tailor people's clothing. I assume you're here because you're looking for armour…" she trailed off, staring at him intently.

"No, thank you. I've been given my own armour," Calvin answered.

"Is it one of those silver pieces of armour?" Miravet asked, disapproval written all over her tone.

Calvin nodded, and smiled almost sheepishly.

Miravet shook her head. "Those are ugly. When going into battle, sometimes looking good is important. You could really end up being a sight for sore eyes. And never underestimate the power of your appearance. Tell me what colour you want. And please don't be shy. I'll "pull some strings" and you can get a nice piece of armour."

Calvin decided to be straight with Miravet. "Black or red."

Miravet chuckled. "Ah the youth. So predictable,"she said, as she rummaged through sets of armour, "always so flashy. I don't have black, except for that one," she said, gesturing at the Warrior's armour, "but I do have this." From a stack of armour, she hauled out a slightly dusty, yet largely undamaged piece of red armour.

Calvin observed it closely. It looked almost fresh, save the dust. "This armour looks pretty good," he remarked.

"It hasn't seen battle yet. It will now," she said gravely, as she handed him the armour.

"Thanks Miravet. I thought Mareth said the armoury had run out of red and black armour," he pointed out.

Miravet waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Bah! Mareth's a good soldier, and a better man, but he doesn't know this armoury as well as me. I've fitted many soldiers and I know exactly where each and every piece of armour is. I've even fitted… him," she said, looking over at the black armour.

Calvin felt a pang of pity for her. She must have seen so many soldiers come and go, having fitted so many of them. In all honesty, she would probably have seen more soldiers leave for war than see soldiers return. That was a rather depressing thought, now that Calvin was thinking about it. He might join that list of soldiers Miravet had fitted who would never return.

Saying a quick "thank you" to Miravet, he turned to leave. However, Miravet called out to him. "Calvin! I want to meet you when you come back. Maybe we'll have a short tea session, and we can… discuss many things."

"That's if I come back," Calvin answered calmly.

Miravet smiled. "You will, dear. I'm sure of it. You have the resolve of the warrior and can go even further than him. I know you can do survive and bring glory back to Regalia," she said encouragingly.

Calvin couldn't find any more words to speak. Choked up with emotion, and nodding one final time in thanks, he headed for the changing rooms to suit up.

Calvin met the rest of the quest members at the gateway. Most of them were deep in their own thoughts, but their faces could be read like a book. Some of them had looks of fear on their face, almost as if they dreaded the quest they were about to undertake. Others like Lapblood looked weary, which seemed to suggest they were feeling the weight of the burden they had by going on this quest. Flyfur and Sixclaw, on the other hand, seemed extremely excited. They were pacing about restlessly, and seldom stopped moving for more than a minute.

Calvin's gaze turned to Murellus, who was lying at one corner. One of his paws was rested on his throat, almost as if he was reminiscing Ripred's stranglehold on him earlier. He was licking his left shoulder, in what seemed to be an attempt to nurse an old injury. Murellus suddenly looked up and found Calvin staring at him. Calvin tried to avert his gaze, but Murellus had already caught him staring awkwardly.

The old fox trotted forward and plopped his body next to Calvin. A period of tense silence ensued, before Murellus spoke up in that raspy voice of his, "You don't trust me."

Calvin shrugged. "You were once on their side. I find it hard to believe you have the guts to fight your own friends."

Murellus stared forward silently. "I have no friends," he stated simply.

Calvin was taken aback by surprise. "You… have no friends?" he asked Murellus.

Murellus chuckled. "Yes. I am ostracized here as I was ostracized there. The other schemers didn't like me. I was Flavius' killing machine. Nobody trusts you," he said with a slight chuckle, "but then again, nobody trusts anybody there. We only trust each other out of the need to do so. And when you think about it, are the humans very different? You only trust and help each other because you have to. That separates you from… them." He looked over at Temp disdainfully.

He continued, "Flavius saw potential in me. He used to tear into me, figuratively and literally speaking, whenever I let him down. He always bit the left shoulder," Murellus glanced down at his left shoulder.

Calvin looked down. "I'm sorry about… what happened."

Murellus laughed. "Don't. Please don't. Nobody feels sorry for anybody down here. That's how it is, and that's how it should stay. It's a cruel world down here. No room for nice creatures."

"Lapblood said something similar to me," Calvin observed.

"Did she now? Well most of us were brought up in the midst of war. We tend to be a bit pessimistic and depressing," Murellus said with a grin. He paused for a while, before continuing, "Back in the day I was known as the Mad Hunter. I was known for accomplishing all of Flavius' tasks with deadly efficiency and ruthlessness."

"Would you consider yourself similar to Ripred?" Calvin wondered.

Murellus raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting question. A question for another day," he said gesturing at Lapblood, who was calling for the members to assemble. Calvin jogged over, and found Lapblood handing out a smelly bottle of oil.

"This is fish oil. It's supposed to cover our scent when we are escaping down the river. Rub it over your body, whether your skin is exposed or not," Lapblood instructed. Although there was a bit of dissent from the rats and the mice, everybody put the fish oil over their body without much fuss.

Just then, Conrad and Luxa made their way down to meet the quest members. Both wrinkled their noses in disgust. "You all smell," Luxa couldn't help but say.

"Took you long enough to realize," Lapblood replied sarcastically.

Luxa shot Lapblood a glare, but decided to ignore the jibe. "This quest is of the utmost importance. The schemers are obviously stalling for time. It is imperative that we succeed in this quest by next week. If not, the whole of the Underland will be conquered by the schemers."

Conrad carried on where Luxa left off. "Ironically, you are our last line of defence. Not all of you who set out here will come back alive. All those selected here are chosen not just because you are great fighters, but also because you are loyal to Regalia," he said, eyeing Murellus.

Clearing his throat, he continued, "As I was saying, many here will perish. That is inevitable. However, know that this is a great honour bestowed upon you, and perhaps the greatest form of honour you can achieve is dying for Regalia. I wish you all the best, and may the unity of men, gnawers, nibblers, fliers, crawlers, Overlanders and even schemers serve as the reason why Regalia will survive for centuries to come."

**Wow. It feels so weird writing again. I must say I'm a bit off-form, and I'm sorry if that's affecting how the story has proceeded so far. I wanted to make this chapter about their escape, but I also found it important that Calvin developed his relationship with some other characters in the story. So… the escape will have to wait till the next chapter.**

**I'm so sorry to all those following this story that it took so long for me to update it, but I was really really busy. Once again, thanks for the support by Nikolas, and please look forward to my chapters.**

**At the end of each chapter, I will post a random question. It can be about literally anything that has to do with my story, so here's the question for this chapter:**

**Question: How smooth do you think the escape down the river will be?**


	13. Chapter 13: Down the River

**Hi Guys! Once again, thank you to Nykolas Rubidoux-Son of Hades for reviewing my chapter. It feels so good to be writing again! It's almost as if I've started an old passion again! **

**In addition, I would like to thank MythologyBookworm for following my story. It's an encouraging sign that my story is becoming more well-received despite the lack of Gregor's presence. Once again, I would like to assure everybody that Gregor will feature in my stories later, but that's only if I decide to continue the series, which I may not do depending on the amount of time I have. Anyway, MythologyBookworm, I hope you enjoy my story!**

**Here's Chapter 13, and the action should just start to light up the story a bit more. **

**Chapter 13: Down the River**

There weren't many goodbyes. Nerissa came down as well to bid them farewell, and Calvin could have sworn she was staring at him most of the time. Perdita came as well, and she gave Calvin a piece of advice, but Calvin wasn't really listening.

He was thinking about the implications of joining the quest. He had a mentor in the hospital back in the Overland. A mentor who had cared for him and watched over him since he was a young boy. A young boy who had just lost his father. A part of Calvin's conscience told him that he should have remained back in the Overland to look after Mr Carter, as Mr Carter had done for him when he was helpless and vulnerable.

Then there was Mr Bennett. Mr Bennett, who had been his caretaker since he was a baby. And Mr Bennett was in a hospital as well. Only God knew how worried Calvin had made Mr Bennett. The poor old man had suffered a heart attack. And it was all because of Calvin's decision to come down to the Underland.

Then he thought about his friends back in the Overland. Granted he hadn't made many friends since his father's passing, but Calvin still felt a need to explain to his friends the truth. The friends he had were friends he was close to, friends he could trust. He couldn't lie to them, but in all honesty, he might never see them again. That thought frightened him a little. The fact that he would just… disappear on this quest and never see his loved ones again.

Then there was Samantha. Calvin had no clue why he found himself worrying about her, but he was. There was just something so… weird about her, and Calvin felt the need to protect her. Admittedly she was creepy back at the hospital, but she was just trying to be nice and sweet. And Calvin thought back then that she was quite… cute, for lack of a better word. He had such strange feelings towards such a strange girl.

Then his thoughts turned to Hero. She was seated at one corner, her head bowed down, looking like she was in prayer. Her relationship with Calvin seemed a bit… tumultuous. He wondered whether she was still mad at him for laughing at her. He still felt his nerves tingle whenever he looked at her, and his stomach would always do a mini-somersault. But then there was his thoughts about Samantha… Calvin just shook his head. His feelings were just too confusing for him to process.

A hand rested on Calvin's shoulder. Calvin found Vikus standing behind him. The old man looked tired, but his grip was still rather strong. "Calvin, may I have a word with you?" he asked in a weary voice.

Calvin nodded politely and they walked over to one corner. Vikus turned to face him. "Calvin, I would just like to let you know that… we won't force you to go on this quest. If you wish to pull out now and leave the Underland, you are free to do so and we will do everything in our power to ensure your wish is granted."

Calvin was shocked. He was silent for a while, trying to interpret what Vikus was implying. "You mean I can… leave? Really?"

Vikus nodded seriously. "Yes, of course. I am absolutely sure you can do that, and we will not hold anything against you."

Calvin pondered on Vikus' words for a while. "Did you offer the Warrior the same choice?" he asked Vikus.

Vikus nodded once more. "Yes, I did. We have no right to force you to go on such a quest. I must warn you that the quest you are undertaking is perilous, and I cannot guarantee that you will return to your life as the same person, and neither can I guarantee that you will return at all. Of course, the Warrior made the choice to stay. But you have your own choice to make." He stared at Calvin expectantly.

Calvin seriously considered leaving this quest. He had no allegiance to Regalia or any of its inhabitants. Then there was the fact that in all honesty, this quest was likely to fail. He was unlikely to return home to Mr Carter, Mr Bennett or Samantha. He would see a life full of potential disappear on this quest. Logically speaking, this should have been an easy decision for a rational person like Calvin.

But then Calvin thought about Ripred. Ripred, who had given his allegiance to Regalia. Ripred, who had given his allegiance to the people who were responsible for the loss of his mate and pup. Ripred, who had fought so many battles against his own kind for the sake of peace. What would Ripred do? Calvin knew the old rat would go on this quest without thinking twice. The old rat knew that this city wasn't bigger than himself.

Then he thought about Hero. Hero wasn't even supposed to go on this quest. But here she was, going without complaining or grumbling at all. Luxa was a queen. She didn't have to fight. But she had gone against the rules to fight for Regalia as well. Lapblood, Flyfur and Sixclaw. All of them may not return to Regalia. But they were going on this quest anyway. Flyfur and Sixclaw didn't even know Mr Bennett, but they had put their lives on the line to protect him and bring him back to Regalia safely.

Last of all, Calvin thought about his father. His father owed nothing to this city, but had given up his life for it anyway. He had fought for these creatures because they were on the brink of destruction, and because he had the power to do so. His father had always taught him to fight for the weak given the strength to do so. And his father had lived and died believing in that principle.

This was no time to dishonour his father. He looked at Vikus. "Frankly, I wanted to say no. Say no to all of this. But I'm here. And I'm here to fight for this city, whether it means I'm giving my life up for it or not."

Vikus smiled gratefully. "You remind me of your father. Courageous and honourable. You would have made him proud. Fly you high, Calvin the Overlander," he said, bidding Calvin farewell.

"Fly you high, Vikus. Please take care of Mr Bennett for me. And if I don't come back, please explain to him… " Calvin couldn't finish the sentence.

Vikus smiled, and with a little twinkle in his eyes, replied, "I will." With that, he left.

Calvin just stood there, contemplating the decision he had just made. But there wasn't much time to think. "The quest is starting! Follow me!" Lapblood barked.

All the quest members followed her out of the gate and into a guard post next to the Waterway. Calvin noticed a group of about eight fishermen readying their nets. He saw one of them place a sword into the boat. He nudged Erik, "They're actually soldiers, right?"

Erik nodded grimly. "They're our bait. They probably won't make it back alive," he said bleakly.

Calvin turned to face Erik in surprise. "I thought if the schemers attack them then they can defend themselves, right?" Calvin inquired.

Erik only shrugged and sighed. "Right?" Calvin pressed.

Erik stared forward. "We'll see."

Lapblood stepped forward. "From now on, if you wish to converse, do so in whispers," she ordered. She then turned to Nike. "Queen Nike, what can you see at the far bank?"

Nike strained her neck forward. "No sign of the schemers at this point in time," she reported.

"We should move now, while they aren't watching the Waterway," Edward, one of the human quest members, suggested.

"No," Lapblood replied firmly, "it could be a trap. We stick to the original plan. We play it safe."

Calvin's eyes scanned the far bank. "There really is nothing there," he said aloud, "there's no way the schemers are there."

Lapblood shot him a glare. "I hope you're not trying to question my authority, because you shouldn't," she warned.

Calvin shook his head. "I'm not, Lapblood. I'm just pointing out my observation," he said as politely as he could.

"Keep your opinions to yourself for now, Overlander. I don't want you to distract me, is that clear?" Lapblood growled.

Calvin nodded, and Lapblood then turned to have a conversation with Temp. Temp's antennae were waving from side to side, and he looked anxious. Calvin caught Hero staring at him, but she turned away shyly before he could catch her gaze.

Murellus hobbled up to him. "You feeling alright?" the fox croaked.

Calvin ignored the question. "Your old shoulder injury is bothering you?" he asked, trying to sound concerned.

Murellus shrugged. "It'll be fine. How's your pride? How badly has it been hurt?" Murellus asked, sounding a bit like Ripred.

Calvin shrugged as well. "It's cool. I've gotten used to the environment down here. You guys being serious and aggressive and all… fierce," Calvin said, for lack of a better word.

Murellus frowned. "We're not all that bad, you know. The Regalians are surprisingly peaceful. I'm quite impressed by the peace and order that is maintained here. It's a bit of a culture shock, when compared to the type of environment I used to live in. Although you are right in the end. When you think about it, we're just animals. And we have the primal instinct to kill, or be killed. That's… in our nature. It cannot be changed."

Calvin shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. You guys aren't just animals. You have a soul, and that's really amazing. It makes you guys almost… human."

Murellus laughed. "I'm not sure being like the humans is such a good thing. Did you know what the humans were called by us when they first came to the Underland?"

Calvin shook his head again. Murellus cocked his head to his right. "I'm surprised that Vikus and Ripred didn't tell you this. Maybe it's because they don't want to taint their image. The humans back then were called "the killers"," Murellus leaned forward ominously, "because that's what they did."

Calvin reared back in alarm. "They… committed genocide?" he asked.

Murellus nodded slowly. "Oh yes, that's what they did. They slaughtered the race of diggers so they could build Regalia. They poisoned the streams so they could kill the diggers. Of course, the diggers are thriving today again, but there was a time where… let's not go there, shall we?"

Calvin took a step back. "I had no idea."

Murellus snorted. "Of course you had no idea. Vikus didn't tell you." He then turned to find Lapblood standing behind him.

"Calvin, may I speak to you for a while?" Lapblood asked through gritted teeth.

Calvin joined her as she jogged over to the other side of the room. She then leaned in and whispered to him, "I don't trust the schemer."

"Of course you don't. He's part of the species that is sworn enemies with Regalia at the moment. But he's really a nice and trustworthy schemer underneath," Calvin insisted.

Lapblood shook her head firmly. "I still don't trust him. And I suggest you stay away from him, Calvin."

"Yea, you don't trust him because your judgement is clouded by the species he's from. Were the rats not sworn enemies of the humans once? Did you not think of the humans as repulsive? But they're not that bad, aren't they?" Calvin replied defiantly.

Lapblood was just about to respond when Edward interrupted. "The soldiers have set off down the lake," he reported. Lapblood quickly rushed over to the window, closely followed by Calvin.

The fishermen had begun paddling towards the middle of the Waterway, and they cast their fishing nets into the water. Calvin watched the opposite bank. Nothing was moving. "How long are they supposed to stay there until they give the signal to move?" he asked.

"Five minutes," Lapblood replied, her gaze still fixated on the fishermen themselves.

The fishermen waited there for four minutes. The tension and intensity in the room began to heighten. "One more minute," Lapblood breathed.

Just as it seemed that they were ready to give the signal, Calvin saw movement at the other end of the bank. "Wait, we need to alert the-" he began, but a hand clamped around his mouth.

A group of about six foxes bounded down the bank and charged into the river. They attacked the boat ravenously. Most of the fishermen fell into the river, as the boat was viciously attacked by the foxes. One fishermen grabbed his sword, but it was too late. A fox bit down and tore his throat out, before consuming him.

Calvin thrashed and tried to get the hand off his mouth. He attempted scream, but all that came out was a muffled cry. "Quiet," Lapblood snarled at him. Calvin continued to struggle against the person who was holding on to him.A number of foxes dove into the river, and emerged on the bank, hauling the injured and frightened fishermen with them. They dropped them on the beach, and one fox, who looked like the leader of the group, surveyed the scene.

When he spoke, he spoke loudly, and the quest members didn't have to strain their ears to hear what he was saying. "Are you all fishermen?" he asked.

The fishermen nodded.

"Just fishermen?" he asked, sounding suspicious.

The fishermen nodded again.

"Fishermen with swords," he mused. He turned to the other foxes, "These fishermen were allowed to leave the city. If they have told the quest members in Regalia that we are short of numbers here, the quest members may make a run for it from this location. All of you, go and report this to General Brutus. Tell him to send more schemers to protect this land."

The other foxes nodded and sprinted away. The fox then turned to the fishermen. Calvin squirmed, but could not break out of that person's grip. The fox smiled at them. "I still have use for you, fishermen. And your function is to fill my empty stomach."

Calvin then watched on in horror, as he brutally slaughtered each and every one of them, flipping them up in the air before crunching into their bodies with his razor-sharp teeth. He tore off their heads and swallowed it hungrily. "I will leave their headless carcasses as a message," he said aloud to himself.

Lapblood then inclined her head in his direction. Alfred, another human soldier, set off on Icarus, who flew silently over the river towards the fox. The fox slumped down on the bank and stretched. Icarus then hovered over his body as Alfred prepared to jump down on him.

After waiting for a few seconds, Alfred took a deep breath and jumped, landing next to the fox. The fox barely had time to react. With one quick stroke, Alfred sliced the fox's throat. With blood gurgling up his throat, the fox couldn't even shout for help. He struggled to his feet, before dropping again. He didn't get up again.

The hand covering Calvin's mouth finally let go. Calvin spun around angrily and was about to confront the person, only to stumble back in surprise when he realised it was Erik. Erik raised his hand apologetically. "I'm sorry, Calvin. But your attempt to warn the fishermen may have jeopardised the quest," he explained.

Calvin was absolutely speechless. Of all people, he didn't expect Erik to give him the rough treatment. He just turned around quietly. Alfred and Icarus returned. "We did a quick check of the area. All the other foxes have headed off to report to Brutus. If there's a time to move, it's now," he reported.

Lapblood nodded quickly. "Bring Donegan and Hadrian with you to clean up the schemer's body. Burn the corpse and dump the ashes into the river. Leave the blood. That can be attributed to the dead fishermen. Leave them there. The rest of you, prepare the boats," Lapblood ordered.

"Wait, wait, wait. First you let these fishermen die even though we're supposed to send back-up for them according to the original plan. Now you're going to leave them there without giving them a proper burial? You're going to leave them dishonoured?" Calvin protested.

Lapblood shot him yet another glare. "We're fighting a war here, Overlander. Sacrifices must be made. Between honour and survival, I'd rather compromise on honour," Lapblood spat back at Calvin.

"Then we're no better than that schemer. What makes us… who we are is our ability to empathise and feel. We might as well join the schemers if we're going to act this way," Calvin retorted.

Lapblood's intense glare at Calvin send shivers down his spine. "I have a few thousand lives to account for, whether it's the humans, gnawers, nibblers, fliers or crawlers. If I let honour get in the way of my judgement, they will all die. If you don't like the way i work, Overlander, you're free to leave," she snarled.

Calvin didn't answer. He just turned and headed towards the boats to help set up its preparation. He just couldn't understand what to do. Follow his conscience, or obediently follow Lapblood? He didn't care. He would just act based on gut feel.

A paw rested on his shoulder. Calvin turned to find Murellus comforting him with a pat. "I don't need any consoling," he said gruffly.

Murellus raised an eyebrow. The old fox had a habit of doing that. "I'm not so sure about that. You look really upset. But you need to understand that we act out of the greater good of Regalia. This city needs protecting and this quest is essential to that. We can't let our feelings get in the way."

"Our feelings make us human," Calvin responded.

Murellus laughed. "Not all of us here is a human," he pointed out.

Calvin just grunted. He pulled the canvas off the last boat. The mice then pushed the boats onto the water. He looked across the river at the blaze. Within a couple of minutes, all that was left of the fox was a pile of ashes, which Hadrian swept into the water unceremoniously.

"Did you know that schemer?" he asked Murellus.

Murellus nodded. "That was Aurelius. One of a number of Flavius' lieutenants. Not many of them. He was very popular back in the day, and still is. He's famous for his ruthlessness and cruelty. And his insatiable hunger for fresh meat."

"Clearly," said Calvin, staring contemptuously at the rest of Aurelius' remains, as Donegan scoured the beach for any signs that might give away Aurelius' death.

"It really feels good to see him finally dead. He did get on my nerves occasionally," Murellus commented cheerfully.

Calvin jumped onto Lapblood's boat, as she had instructed him to do so earlier. He was closely followed by Hero, who sat far away from him, but continued to try and look at him when she thought he wasn't looking. "Why can't the fliers fly us out of here?" he asked lapblood, trying to keep his mind off Hero.

"The distance is too far for them. They will tire easily, and if there's no landing area, you know where we're going," Lapblood reasoned. Clearing her throat, she then went on to say, "I'm sorry for arguing with you. I shouldn't have. We need our team spirit and unity to be up, not down. But we can't let our emotions dictate what we do."

"Fine. I'm fine with that," Calvin responded.

"You better get some sleep now. We have a long journey ahead of us. And the best time to get sleep is on the boat ride," Lapblood added.

For once, Calvin didn't think of arguing with Lapblood. He quickly made his way over to the makeshift beds, and dropped his body on it. It had been a rough and action-packed past two days for him, and he needed as much rest as possible because the journey was only going to get worse from here. Sighing, he closed his eyes once more and descended into the murky realm of sleep.

**So that's it for this chapter! I increased the action level a little bit more, and hopefully we can increase the action as the story progresses. However, I also value character development and I hope to explore that through Calvin's interactions with other characters. Once again, if you have any comments, I urge you to review my story. I'm really open-minded and whether you have something nice to say or not, I would really appreciate reviews! Thanks a lot, and I hope you've enjoyed the story!**

**Question: Do you think the foxes will realise the disappearance of Aurelius? And if they do, then how do you think they'll cope with it?**


	14. Chapter 14: Perils of the Deep

**Hi guys! I know I've been updating my story at an alarming rate(or at least I think so) so I hope I'm not appearing to be rushing. I also don't expect you guys to be able to review each chapter considering the short amount of time between each chapter and the next. Just wanted to let you guys know this.**

**Anyway, I kinda ran out of ideas after the last chapter. My original plan which I had drafted almost six months ago was only supposed to serve me up to chapter 13, so I'm now going along with the flow of the story for this chapter. By the next chapter I should have a stable, working story plan which will help to improve the structure of my story. That being said, I have the climax and end of this story done and dusted so hopefully the story plan won't trouble me too much.**

**I know the popularity of Underland Chronicles fanfiction often hinges on Gregor and Luxa. However, I have said this before and I'll say it again: This story's main character won't be Gregor. I stand firm by that despite the lack of popularity of my story because of Gregor's absence. This story is meant to be part one of a trilogy, which I will hopefully write if I have enough people supporting me. So I urge those who follow and read my stories to help promote it, because it's real nice for me to get support, and for you guys to garner support for me is really touching. **

**That's about it for me. Please please please review my work if possible. It would really mean a lot to me.**

**Chapter 14: Perils of the Deep**

For the first time in since he entered the Underland, Calvin woke up from his sleep without hearing Flavius' sleep. His head still felt slightly heavy from the exertions over the past two days. Or was it three? He had lost all track of time down in the Underland.

Groaning slightly, he stumbled to his feet, and reached out against the wall to steady his body. He looked around his boat. Hero was sleeping. Temp was also lying at one side, motionless. He saw Nike perched on the mast, brooding silently. Flyfur and Sixclaw had cuddled together in a corner, sleeping peacefully. Calvin almost smiled at the sight of them appearing so happy together. It was certainly heartwarming to see.

Calvin then turned to find Lapblood near the helm of the boat, staring into the distance. He trudged forward and took a seat next to her. After a period of silence, he spoke up. "I haven't really apologised to you for questioning your authority. So here I am. I'm sorry," he said.

Lapblood cast a sidelong glance at him. He could have sworn that there was a slight hint of a smile on her face. She then turned back to looking into the distance. "Don't mention it," she answered.

There was another period of awkward silence, before Calvin decided to change the topic. "Won't the schemers be suspicious over Aurelius' disappearance?" he asked.

Lapblood looked uneasy. "They probably will," she agreed, "but Hadrian and Donegan have made fake tracks, so it looks like he ran off to report as well. But it'll only be a matter of time before they realise he's disappeared for far too long."

"Then they'll attack Regalia," Calvin said matter-of-factly.

Lapblood nodded hesitantly. "I trust our soldiers can handle the siege. Perdita and Mareth are in charge. They are veteran soldiers, and have experience in defending Regalia. Then there's Ripred. He's a rager, he can assist in battle," she said, but she also sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"What's a rager?" Calvin asked, remembering Ripred mentioning that term a while back.

Lapblood continued to stare into the distance. "If Ripred didn't tell you his, then I'm not sure he wants me to tell you. But a rager is essentially a natural killing machine. A rager is naturally faster, fiercer, stronger and smarter than anyone else in battle. It's in their blood. They have battle instincts like you have certain instincts as well," she explained hesitantly.

"Who do you know is a rager?" Calvin continued to query Lapblood.

"Riperd. The Warrior. And there are rumours that Flavius is a rager as well," Lapblood replied.

Calvin raised an eyebrow. "Murellus mentioned that Flavius saw potential in him to become a killing machine. Is Murellus a rager?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know much about Murellus, apart from the torture he suffered under Flavius. And that he's one of Flavius' most deadly soldiers. That's why I don't trust him," Lapblood admitted.

"He's really alright. You shouldn't discriminate against him because of his past. I mean, look at Ripred. He also betrayed his species and fought to keep the peace. Speaking of Ripred, I honestly believe that Murellus and him have a lot in common," Calvin declared.

Lapblood's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I'm not so sure Ripred will want to hear that, but I'm willing to believe you."

For once, Calvin didn't find Lapblood to be so difficult or mean. She actually seemed quite… friendly. "Am I a rager?" he asked her.

Lapblood shook her head. "Remember your test trying to hit all the bloodballs? Ragers would hit all fifteen. You hit ten, which is respectable for a newcomer. But a rager will definitely hit fifteen. Trust me, be glad you're not a rager. Ragers often go through a lot of tragedy. I don't know if it's a curse that comes with being a rager or not. All I know is that bad things happen to ragers."

There was no arguing with that. Calvin had heard stories about Ripred's cruel past. And the Warrior was dead. Ragers seemed to have a hard and miserable life. No matter how appealing the sound of being a natural killing machine was, there was no denying the consequences sounded much worse. Calvin decided to change the topic again. "How old is Flavius?" he wondered.

Lapblood turned to face Calvin. "You can ask the scum when you're pointing a gun in his face," she said with a grin.

No matter how dark that piece of humour was, Calvin was still glad he had seen some humour come from lapblood. It was oddly comforting. He got up and stretched, before saying goodbye to Lapblood. Lapblood waved her paw at him and returned to looking into the distance.

Calvin went back to his makeshift bed. He found Hero seated on her bed, watching him. he waved at her, and once again she turned away shyly. A minute later though, she got up and walked over to him, sitting down next to him on his bed.

"I'm unable to get angry with you," she admitted.

Calvin readjusted his body so he was facing her. "You did a good job of fooling me," he replied as slickly as possible.

A grin crept onto Hero's face. "I don't know what to think of you. Especially when I'm courting Harold," she said slowly.

Calvin felt his heartbeat increasing. "For some reason, I think I know what you think of me," he responded.

"Really? Did you know that I think of you as an ugly, weak, pathetic mess?" she asked, biting her lower lip.

Calvin raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you're feisty," he stated.

She laughed, and pushed her hair back, revealing her complete face. As was with most of the Underlanders, it was pale, but it was also really pretty. She had very well-balanced features. Calvin found himself beginning to subconsciously obsess over the small details on her face. "You're pretty fierce yourself, Overlander," she whispered to him.

Calvin leaned in, staring deep into her eyes. "Do you want me to tell you what's pretty?" he shot back at her.

Hero leaned in as well. "Yes, I want it to come out from your mouth. Let me hear what you have to say," she replied flirtatiously.

Calvin smiled as he stared at her lips. "Harold would be steaming mad if he saw us like this, wouldn't he?" Calvin remarked.

Hero surprisingly didn't seem to care. "I'm sure he would," she said, and she leaned in even more, closing her eyes.

Calvin was just about to do the same when Hero pulled back. "No, no, no!" she exclaimed. "I'm courting Harold. What am I doing? I'm giving in to my base instincts. I'm doing things too fast," she commented miserably.

Calvin had no idea who to respond. But he was spared the embarrassment as Lapblood cried out, "Wake up! We're under attack!"

Within seconds, everybody on all three boats was on their feet, drawing out their weapons. Calvin yanked out his Glock and stuffed an ammunition pack into a pocket he had. At first he had no clue what Lapblood was referring to. Then the boat shook and at least five large tentacles exploded out of the water and flailed all over the place.

Calvin was caught in a whirl of confusion. One of the tentacles knocked over the lamp that was on the boat, and Calvin was enshrouded in what was largely darkness. The only light around was the lamps on the other boats, but even then it only cast a dim light on the assailant. For the next half a minute, all Calvin saw was Lapblood gnashing her teeth and leaping all over the place, a couple of tentacles, some suckers and Hero diving under her bed for cover. He heard cries and shouts from all other places, as his senses were overwhelmed from the pandemonium.

However, he got behind his bed, and took a deep breath. He calmed down as much as possible and focussed his mind on shooting the creature. Then he leapt out and trained his weapon on a tentacle headed for Nike. He fired three shots. The first shot missed the tentacle entirely, but his second and third shots embedded themselves into the creature. The creature's tentacle reared back in pain and disappeared temporarily.

More tentacles flew out, and Calvin realised there was more than one creature attacking the boat. Lapblood was injured and bleeding but was still slashing fiercely at the tentacles headed her way. Calvin caught a glimpse of Murellus clamping down with his teeth on a tentacle.

Calvin then tried to hit some of the tentacles. Despite a few stray bullets, most of his shots were on target. Although he ran out of bullets, he quickly reloaded and continued to shoot. He heard Lapblood roar, "Lamp!"

She reached out with her claws and caught a lamp thrown at her from another boat. Lifting it she turned to the left side of the boat. "Overlander! Use your weapon!" she yelled.

Calvin turned to find Lapblood shining the light on a massive, red-coloured creature which had chomped down on the side of the boat with its jaws. Calvin quickly realised it must be some type of squid. Recovering quickly from the realisation, he raised his weapons and aimed between the squid's eyes.

A lot counted on an accurate shot at the squid. If allowed to continue its crunching fest, the squid would damage the boat beyond repair. If this boat fell, there would be a huge amount of problems, including the fact that many people were going to die. Then there was his reputation. If Calvin missed his shot, his position as a member of this quest would be put in doubt. He needed to show he was a warrior. He needed to prove his worth to the rest of the quest members.

He was vaguely aware of Lapblood yelling at him to shoot, He knew many eyes at that moment were staring hard at him. This was definitely not a time to mess up. Taking in a deep breath, he recalled years of training by Mr Carter and put all that training he had received into this shot.

Time seemed to slow down. He felt his finger tighten around the trigger. Lapblood crying out. Murellus calling out. The bullet flying through the air. The squid opening its jaws, waiting to deliver a fatal second bite into the boat which would seal the fate of the boat. Flyfur screaming in pain. Tentacles bearing down all over the place. The bullet moving closer. And closer. And closer.

And the bullet hit the squid square between the eyes.

Calvin saw the soft flesh of the squid pierced by the bullet. A spray of blood flew out. The bullet went in deep. From Calvin's point of view, it must have gone all the way to the brain. And with an almighty roar, the squid fell back, its tentacles flailing, as it sank back into the water. He turned around to find the rest of the squids diving low and swimming away.

The quest members continued to watch the water closely, anticipating a sudden surprise attack from the squids. But it never came. After a while, they all heaved a sigh of relief. Murellus nodded encouragingly at Calvin, as Temp bumped him lightly. "Done well, Overlander, done well," he announced.

Cheers came from the other boats, as everybody relaxed. Hero gave Calvin a tight hug, which he found himself enjoying thoroughly. "Good shot, Overlander," said Nike grudgingly, "I had my doubts about you, but you seem to have prove those doubts to be misleading."

Only Lapblood didn't relax. She continued to look extremely tense, and sniffed the air intensely. "This isn't right," he heard her mumble, "they never break out of a fight so abruptly."

"What's wrong, Lapblood?" Calvin called out to her.

Lapblood's head suddenly shot up. "Get the wounded out of the way! Draw your weapons! We're getting another attack!" she barked.

Everybody stared at her, completely bewildered. Only Murellus responded, "Do as she says! Now!"

The wounded were brought to one side, and were closely guarded. Flyfur, the only badly injured member of Calvin's boat limped to one side, as Sixclaw followed her closely to protect her. The other healthy members of the quest were on guard.

A tense minute followed. "Are you sure about this?" Icarus called out to Lapblood.

"Stay on guard. The squids weren't retreating because of Calvin's gunshot, they were retreating because they were scared of something," Lapblood snapped.

Yet another tense minute ensued. Just as Calvin was about to label Lapblood paranoid, the water began to churn. "Serpents!" Lapblood hissed, "Watch out!"

The water churned even more fiercely, and Calvin watched in horror as an enormous snake reared up from the water, and snarled, showing its deadly fangs. It hissed angrily, before plunging its head back into the water, causing a massive splash. Water flew onboard, drenching most of the quest members. That was the distraction the serpent needed. It crunched into the boat, puncturing two large holes in it. It had succeeded where the squids had failed.

"Abandon ship!" Lapblood growled, and bats flew over to pick up passengers and send them to other boats. Calvin tried to fire a bullet at the serpent, but with the amount of water flying all around him, he was unable to get a clear shot and ended up missing the serpent by several inches.

Hecate flew next to him, and hovered in the air waiting for him as he continued to fire round after round, trying to hit the serpent. "Forget it, Calvin! The boat's about to sink! You have to go!" she called out frantically.

Cursing under his breath, Calvin leapt onto Hecate's back smoothly, and she took off quickly, heading to the other boat. However, from his bird's eye view, Calvin spotted another serpent sneaking towards Murellus' boat from behind. "Murellus! Behind you!" he shouted at the fox.

Murellus quickly spun around and found himself facing yet another towering mass. If it crashed down on the boat, the quest was doomed to fail. There were just too many members on the last surviving boat. The quest was effectively over.

_Not just yet, _Calvin thought to himself, and he fired a warning bullet at the serpent. It was meant to catch the serpent's attention, and that's what it did. It pirouetted quickly to face Calvin, its eyes ablaze with fury. "Hecate, if you're not up to this, then drop me off. I need your help, but only if you're willing," he growled through gritted teeth.

Hecate flew just out of the way as the serpent snapped its jaws at her. She retreated a couple of metres, before saying quickly, "I'm up for it. What's the plan?"

"I need you to spin towards the serpents. Stay out of their reach though. Leave the rest to me. If you can't do it, let me know. This needs full cooperation." Calvin told her.

Hecate took in a deep breath. Calvin heard her murmur to herself, "You can do this." She then nodded her head tightly and said, "On your command, Calvin."

Calvin himself took a deep breath. Counting to three, he then leaned in next to her ear and whispered, "Now."

Hecate rocketed towards the serpents, spinning again and again. Calvin wrapped his legs tightly around her body. His legs were the only things that were going to keep him from falling off Hecate. But that was just the first part of the plan.

Calvin drew out his other Glock pistol, and eyed the serpent. He then raised both pistols and began to shoot. This time, most of his bullets were flying off target, but he heard a slight hiss of pain coming from one of the serpents and he knew he had hit one of them. Hecate ducked and swerved and finally pulled out of the tangled mess.

Calvin surveyed the scene again. This time both serpents had their full attention on him. He scanned their bodies for any injuries, but apart for a few dented scales, they still looked fine. Hecate was panting, clearly tired from the flying feat she had done. "Their armour is hard to penetrate," she noticed.

Calvin growled in frustration. Hecate looked up, and twisted her neck so she was facing him. "I can perform a few more tricks. But it's all up to you," she said, looking him in the face.

Calvin nodded. Then a brilliant idea hit him like lightning. "Try to get them tangled up in each other," he told her. Hecate didn't bother talking anymore. She quickly turned and dived towards the serpents, spinning abruptly rather than continuously.

Calvin could hear Lapblood and Hero trying to cry out something to him, but he ignored it totally. He needed to stay focussed on the task at hand, and if he failed at this task, then the rest of the quest was over. Hecate once again engaged in a complicated series of twisting and turning. Calvin torqued his body on occasion to fire at the serpents. This time, he was hitting them, but as before, he was hitting their steel-hard scales.

Hecate continued her sequence, pulling out occasionally, but only for a few seconds, before she plunged back into the chaos. However, within a minute, she pulled out abruptly, and hovered in the air, breathless. Calvin realised why she had done that.

The serpents were now tangled together. In their bid to kill Calvin and Hecate, they had lashed out all over the place and gotten themselves tangled up. Calvin patted Hecate. "Good job, Hecate," he congratulated her, "but the job's not over yet. Let's finish these bastards."

Once more Hecate dived towards the serpents. With their bodies twisted into one giant mess, the serpents could barely move and struggled to coordinate. One of them opened its jaw to snarl at Calvin. And that was when Calvin saw his chance.

He levelled his pistols at her mouth and unlike earlier, didn't consider how important the shots would be. He kept his cool and fired several rounds and the opened mouth. The bullets flew through her mouth and somehow exploded out of the other side. Once more, blood spurted out of the injury as the serpent's body went slack.

_One down, one more to go, _Calvin thought to himself. Hecate flew around it, trying to bait it to open its mouth, but it wouldn't open. It had learned from its partner's mistake. However, it wasn't going to thrash about and try to fight Calvin. It turned its attention to the other boat, and despite being weighed down and entangled with its dead partner, it started to inch its way forward to Murellus' boat. Calvin saw the eyes of the quest members on that boat light up with panic and horror. Calvin had no idea how to stop the serpent before it bore down on the boat.

Then as he looked deep into the serpent's eyes, he saw its weakness. "The eyes," he breathed aloud to himself. He then raised his weapons and focussed on the serpent's eyes. Those yellow,narrow eyes.

In all his years shooting and training, this was perhaps the most difficult target he had to hit. He had to hit it from a significant range, and adding on to this complication was the fact that it's eyes were not as large as he had hoped for.

But judging by the speed at which it was moving, he had two shots, three at most before it crashed into the boat. Calvin's precision was the most important factor right now. He fired once. Both bullets missed. He fired a second time. He missed again. Within seconds it would be on the boat.

Calvin didn't have time to delay his last shot. He just aimed and fired.

This time, it hit the serpent's eyes dead on. The serpent reared back and opened its jaws in pain. Calvin took the opportunity with both hands. He fired once with both guns, and the bullet flew right through the serpent's mouth and exploded out of the back of its head.

The serpent sagged slightly, before slumping and crashing back into the water dramatically, sinking beneath the green, foamy waves.

**That was a fun chapter to write! I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Once again, if you have any suggestions or comments, I cordially invite you to review my work. Yea, please review it! Haha!**

**Question: Did you think Calvin was badass enough? How do you think I could improve Calvin's fighting level?**

**p.s. Thanks to 4sdvzrh for suggesting to make Calvin badass. I agree totally with you to try and do so, and I hope I've achieved that!**


	15. Chapter 15: The Jungle

**Hey guys! It's nice to see some reviews coming in. Of course it's really encouraging if everybody who visited my story reviewed it so I know which areas to improve in and what areas to continue working on, but I'm happy to see reviews from Witwickety and Nykolas Rubidoux-Son of Hades. **

**After planning my story, I can now reveal that this story will have thirty chapters. So this chapter signals the halfway mark! It's really satisfying to see myself halfway through my story. Much can be improved on, but I can only achieve that with your reviews guys!**

**Another great thing is that I have hit 50'000 words, which is really quite nice to se. This is probably the longest story I've ever written(I wrote a couple of short stories when I was much younger) so I'm in somewhat uncharted territory(did you catch this Underland reference?). But it's honestly been an exciting and eye-opening experience.**

**On a side note, can someone help me with bolding the author's note at the start? Cos' when I'm looking at the screen, and my author's note doesn't seem to be bolded properly. Are you guys facing the same problem, or am I doing something wrong?**

**Anyway, enjoy Chapter 15, ladies and gentleman!**

**Chapter 15: The Jungle**

Calvin was flown back on Hecate, feeling triumphant as he did so. He was showered with gratitude and congratulations as he landed on Murellus' boat. Even the injured quest members struggled to their feet to thank him. Calvin was basking in the glory. And he was absolutely loving it.

Nike once again offered an apology for doubting him, which he graciously accepted. He tried to stay humble, but his heart was bursting with pride. He had somehow taken down a squid and two serpents on his first real battle. It seemed all so… surreal. Hero hugged him once again, and Murellus actually came up to him to talk about it.

"Your intelligence in battle astounds even a schemer like me," Murellus commended, "You fought better than some experienced soldiers I've known. You have some talent, Calvin, no doubt about that."

Calvin looked down at his guns. "I guess it's because of this," he said putting his guns back into his pockets.

Murellus looked at the guns with great interest. "Indeed," he concurred, "those weapons could be revolutionary here in the Underland. They are extremely powerful. Nevertheless, you used them with great finesse." With that, he said a quick goodbye to Calvin and walked away to tend to the injured.

Calvin walked over to Lapblood, who was licking her blood clean, as Alfred applied some healing appointment to her injuries. Calvin saw her grimace slightly in pain, but she never even made a sound. When Alfred was done with her, she thanked him and told him to work on the other quest members. Calvin then took Alfred's spot, sitting next to Lapblood.

As usual, they didn't start their conversation immediately. They looked all around at the injured, the damaged boats and the exhausted quest members. This time, it was Lapblood who spoke up. "You fought very well. As with most of the other quest members, I had my doubts about your fighting skills. I no longer have those doubts. You have truly impressed me," Lapblood admitted.

Calvin didn't know how to respond. For the first time in a while, he was completely speechless. Here was Lapblood, a rat who just days ago had been deriding him for being weaker than the Warrior. This same Lapblood was sitting next to him only a couple of days later, praising him. He finally swallowed nervously and replied, "Thanks for the compliment Lapblood. It's a real confidence booster."

For the first time, Lapblood had a broad, warm smile on her face. "I think you're going to be fine on this adventure. Although I am not so happy about your decision to pull out your other weapon, no matter how necessary that was," she confessed.

Staring at Calvin's perplexed expression, she quickly continued, "I know it was a good idea to use both guns. But you know there is the possibility of a traitor in our midst. If that traitor knows you have two of these weapons, he or she may suspect you have more than these two. Worse still, the traitor might seek to take the guns away from you and hide them. Then one of our greatest assets would be lost."

She cast nervous glances to her left and right, before leaning in to whisper to Calvin, "I have a gut feeling that the traitor is within our company. And I'm starting to doubt that it's Murellus. He is starting to prove that he is sincere about helping us. I have my reservations about one or two others though."

Calvin looked around. Who could it be? Certainly not Hero, she hadn't even chosen to join the quest. Erik? No, he could trust Erik. Definitely not Hecate. Hecate had put her life on the line to help Calvin back when he was facing the serpents. She genuinely cared about Regalia. Murellus couldn't concretely prove he wasn't the traitor, but Calvin was sure that he was clean. But Calvin didn't know the rest very well, so he couldn't judge them. "Who do you think it is?" he asked Lapblood.

Lapblood shook her head. "I won't tell you. If I do, you might begin to act unnaturally around them and if they are the traitor, or even traitors, then you might arouse their suspicion that we know about them. No, I'm sorry Calvin. You have to trust me on this," she pleaded sincerely.

Calvin felt inclined to argue with her, but decided against it. Lapblood was right. He might subconsciously act unnaturally among these people. And there was the fact that he had agreed not to challenge her authority. So he just nodded and said, "Yep."

Lapblood nodded her head in thanks. There was yet another period of silence, before Lapblood spoke up again. "I was always very fond of the Warrior. The first time we met was when we went on a quest together. We got off to a rough start, but then I lost my mate. I was in total disarray, and I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I had given up on life. Later we got stuck in a mud pool. I accepted my fate and waited to die."

She took in a deep breath. Calvin touched her shoulder reassuringly. "You don't have to tell me this story if you're not ready to," he whispered to her.

Lapblood shook her head, and Calvin could have sworn he saw a hint of tears in her eyes. "It's alright. I trust you, and I think you… you should… you should know this story," she said through heavy breaths.

She took in yet another deep breaths before continuing, "But funnily enough, he never gave up on me. The Warrior reminded me that I had pups to take care of. Those pups," she said, turning to face Flyfur and Sixclaw.

She stared at them for a little while and turned back to face Calvin. "And he gave me the will to fight. I pulled out of the mud with that extra bit of willpower he gave me. Later, when I was too exhausted to brush my own fur, Ripred came down hard on me. But the Warrior stepped in and offered to brush my fur for me. That act of kindness really touched me."

Now, in a firmer voice, she resumed, "That was when I realised that there was good in humans. That was when I realised why that scrawny eleven year old boy had become the Warrior. Not because he was a rager, or because the prophecy said so, but because he embodied the goodness that could be found in humans. I will be forever grateful to him for what he did in that jungle."

Then she turned to look Calvin in the eye. "You are a symbol of hope, Calvin. If the Warrior was our old symbol, then you are the new symbol. Back when you were fighting the serpents, I saw who you truly were. An intelligent fighter, yes. A deadly shooter, yes. But most of all, a courageous person. A person willing to sacrifice his life to fight for a city he has no allegiance to. And that, Calvin, is truly inspiring. And I honestly believe you have the potential to outdo even the Warrior. I can see it in you, even though I initially doubted you."

For the second time in the past five minutes, Calvin couldn't find any words to respond to what Lapblood had said. He mumbled an awkward, "Thank you," and then kept quiet. Lapblood spared him another few awkward moments of silence by excusing herself, and hobbling away to check on Flyfur.

Calvin then turned to look into the distance. He wasn't left alone with his thoughts for very long, though, as he heard Hecate flutter down next to him. "You did very well back there, Calvin," she said, shooting him a warm smile.

"It wasn't just me, Hecate. My whole stunt success is down to you. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to kill the serpents. You were absolutely fantastic," he told her honestly.

If bats were able to gush with pride, then that's exactly what Hecate did. "Thank you for your praise, Calvin. It is a great honour to hear that from you. We could really work out well together as partners in battle," she replied shyly.

"Our teamwork back there was great. It could really be the start of a good partnership," Calvin agreed. He then paused, remembering a part of the battle, when Hecate had seemed almost scared to fly down to meet the serpents. "I don't mean to be rude or intrusive, but you seemed really nervous before you flew me into the midst of battle. You wanna talk to me about that?" he asked out of curiosity.

Hecate shook nervously. "I'm not sure, Calvin. I'm sorry I seemed to fail you back there," she said miserably.

"No, no you didn't! You were the best I could have hoped for! I was just, y'know, wondering…" he trailed off, afraid that he had hurt her feelings or offended her.

Hecate looked up. "Thank you, Calvin. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you. I'll talk to you about it." She paused for a moment, and then began, "My brother, Ares, died in battle in a similar fashion. Similarly, an Overlander was riding him at that time, and at least according to the stories I had heard, the Overlander had told him that he needed to get closer to the Bane."

"The Bane. The Overlander you speak of is the Warrior. His bond was Ares. Ares died at the hands, or rather claws, of the Bane," Calvin quickly put two and two together.

Hecate nodded. "The Bane was the most twisted wretch the Underland had seen. He was cruel beyond measure and I would even label his followers as fanatical. The big white rat. But the title of "the most twisted wretch" no longer belongs to him. It belongs to our dear enemy Flavius," Hecate said, with an unusual snarl on her face.

She then realised she was diverging from the original topic. "Anyway, the Warrior told Ares to move in closer to fight the Bane. That's what he did. And even though the Warrior was able to plunge his sword into the Bane's heart, Ares had been sacrificed. The Bane sank his teeth into Ares' throat and that was it. I never even saw my brother's body," she said quietly.

When Hecate looked up, he saw tears shining in her eyes. "I am grateful to the Warrior. On many occasions, he has saved my brother's life. The council of Regalia had decided to wrongfully execute my brother for betraying his bond, even though his bond had betrayed the quest members. The Warrior saved Ares' life by bonding with him so that he was spared execution. It is for moments like these that I am grateful to the Warrior. But there is no denying his decision to fly in to attack the Bane had caused my brother's death."

Calvin was silent for a long time. Perhaps the Warrior wasn't as faultless as people in Regalia had portrayed him. "I'm sorry," Calvin said, offering his condolences.

Hecate only shrugged. "It's been eight long years, Calvin. The hurt I got when I heard of his passing has largely dissipated. But some old wounds cannot be healed," she said sadly.

Calvin remained silent for a while. He promised to himself he would never put Hecate in that kind of danger. Then he checked himself. They were always going to encounter a situation where he would need Hecate to get closer to the target, even if he was using a gun. That was inevitable. He couldn't make that kind of promise.

Hecate almost seemed to read his mind. "You are worried you will put me in the same situation. And that if I die, my blood will be on your hands," she guessed.

Calvin nodded glumly, and fidgeted nervously. "I don't want to cause anybody to die, Hecate," he said somberly.

Hecate shook her head. "Calvin, many die in battle. Many, many people. It is natural to feel guilty for a while, if you believe you have caused someone's death. It really gets frustrating when you realise that you could have saved that person's life if you had just been a bit more careful or if you tried a little bit harder. But in the end, what's done is done. There's no changing that. Sometimes we must learn to let go."

Calvin shrugged uncomfortably. He still wasn't content with the idea that he could ride into battle with Hecate not worrying that whether she would make it out alive or not. "Yea," he said, feeling a little delirious from the adrenaline which ad been pumping fiercely throughout his body earlier.

He got up and tried to find some room to lie down. However, the boat was extremely crowded with many quest members being crammed together into only two boats. It was almost like wading through a sea of bodies. He was stepping on someone's toe or body part at every step he made. Most of them didn't mind though. There were much more pressing matters, like tending to the wounded.

Calvin's search for a spot to lie down proved to be futile. He ended up back where he began, next to Hecate, but she was perched at the mast of the ship, hanging while sleeping peacefully.

Suddenly Calvin heard the beating of wings, and found that one of the bats he didn't know very well, Ariadne, had left an empty spot for him.

"I'll fly overhead. It's good to get some exercise. Use my space to get some rest. You look like you need it," she informed him. Calvin decided to forget about being polite and courteous. He said, "Thank you," rather drearily, and he collapsed like a sack of potatoes onto the deck, slowly trickling off into sleep.

But he couldn't sleep. No matter how tired he felt, he couldn't sleep. He found himself constantly opening his eyes, and tossing from side to side. The worst part was he genuinely felt like he needed sleep, but he was unable to get it.

He heard Murellus pace over to his side. "Someone looks exhausted," Murellus observed.

Calvin nodded wearily. "I can't get sleep, though. I think it's because I just slept less than three hours earlier," he reasoned.

Murellus smiled. "I guess so. Do you want to talk? I'm quite bored myself. Most of the wounded have been tended to, and are resting. I could use an intellectual conversation right now."

Calvin snorted. "Don't look for me then. I'm not that smart."

Murellus chuckled. "There's no need to be so humble, Calvin. You're a smart kid, there's no denying that. Between you and me, you're smarter than Lapblood. Remember, just between you and me. Or else she'll come after me. She doesn't trust me in the first place."

"That's not true, you know. She actually says she's alright with you, even though you're schemer," Calvin apprised Murellus about Lapblood's conversation with him.

Murellus had a faint smile on his face. "No matter how encouraging that sounds, it's merely temporary. Wherever I go, I'll be hated. I have betrayed my own kind, so I'm getting no sympathy from them. All the other species detest, even despise the schemers, so I'm getting no love from them either. I won't be trusted by anyone, Calvin. When you have realised some of the horrors I have committed in my lifetime under Flavius, I won't blame you if you lose your trust in me."

Calvin looked down. Life seemed really hard for Murellus as well. "I promise I will trust you, no matter what happens. Let's face it Murellus, even though I didn't think very highly of you when I first met you, I have begun to see you as a friend. And I'm really sorry about your situation."

This time, Murellus guffawed. "That's really sweet, Calvin. But don't feel sorry for me. This is the choice I've made, and I'll live by it. Don't waste your brain and breath away on an old fox like me. Remember, we agreed that feeling sorry was a sign of weakness here in the Underland," he reminded Calvin.

Calvin shrugged. "I don't know about you," he began, "but I'm starting to believe empathy might be a strength rather than a weakness if channeled correctly. I still believe in seeing the good in everything."

Murellus raised his eyebrow, which Calvin observed was the old fox's habit. "You know, Overlander, you are an extremely interesting character. I'm glad I met you," he said, with a tone of admiration in his voice. He then yawned. "Ah well, I'm feeling tired. I'll get some rest. Try to get some as well, Calvin," he advised, as he ambled away to his bed to lie down.

Calvin found himself leaning back against the side of the ship. Soon, he was engulfed by a series of memories and images. He found himself dreaming back about the time when his father brought him on his first holiday. A trip to the Maldives. The hot sun. Beautiful white sand. His mother and father embracing each other. The brilliant, clear blue water.

Then he saw himself at his mother's funeral. His father quietly standing at one side, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. But there was no sobbing. He was just standing there quietly. Calvin was bawling. Mr Bennett hugged him tightly, as he cried, and cried, and cried. He was only eight years old then.

He felt the sharp pain of losing his mother stab his chest like a knife. It felt almost… real. He remembered the hollow feeling in his chest afterwards. He had loved his mother so dearly. He missed her bright smile and tender hugs. He missed her consoling when he was sad, and he missed her cheering for him at his sports events.

Then the pain he felt intensified. He was now at his father's funeral, in his father's position. Not bawling away, but silently crying. He recalled giving his father's eulogy, the most painful speech he had ever given in his life. His heart ached everytime he uttered his father's name in that speech. Many business partners had come forward to offer their condolences. But Calvin didn't care. He knew all they wanted was his father's money.

For a while, Calvin locked himself in his mansion, learning to cope with the pain of being an orphan. Learning to get over death. Learning to try and fill the void which had been left by the death of his parents. He knew he had changed. He could feel it within his bones.

Then the scene changed. this time he must have been around thirteen years old. Mr Carter was sparring with him. They were learning how to use the sword. Mr Carter capitalised on a distraction to trip Calvin up. Calvin had landed with a painful thud, and was way too tired to get back up.

He remembered Mr Carter yelling at him to get back up, but he wouldn't budge. He was sick and tired of training. He was going to give up despite his father's wish to see him continue training. That was when Mr Carter leaned forward and offered him a hand. Calvin had reluctantly taken it and was hauled up onto his feet by Mr Carter.

Then Mr Carter said, "This time I'm here to help you up Calvin. But some day, I won't be here. And you're going to have to learn to get up yourself." Those words had stuck with Calvin for a long time. They still resonated with him until this very day.

His vision then blurred, and he could hear someone uttering, _Our legacy is immortal._ Then the scene changed and Calvin found himself staring into those crazed yellow eyes. That venomous, hate-filled yellow eyes. For some reason, they suddenly seemed so familiar. _Flavius,_ he whispered. He heard laughter, and then Flavius began to speak….

Calvin woke up, panting away. He found himself drenched in cold sweat once again. Was he awake all this while? Or did he fall asleep? He suddenly found a bloody Mr Carter standing in front of him offering him a hand the same way he had done two years back. Calvin had no idea how to respond. He just stared blankly into Mr Carter's face, waiting for Mr Carter to make the next move.

And then Calvin closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, Mr Carter was gone. The boat was still crowded. Most of the quest members were sleeping. Mr Carter was never there.

Calvin realised he had been hallucinating all that while. Groaning, he stumbled to his feet and looked around. He found Lapblood watching him closely. "How long have you been watching me?" he asked her.

"Long enough," cam her curt reply.

"That's kinda creepy," Calvin told her straight in the face.

"It is," Lapblood acknowledged, "but I got worried about you. You started tossing and turning all over the place, mumbling things under your breath. And then I saw you open your eyes as if you were staring at someone, and you reached out slightly. That was highly disturbing."

Calvin decided to trivialise the whole situation. "It's nothing, I'm fine," he lied to her.

Lapblood spotted the lie from a mile away. "Don't bother trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Have you seen yourself in the mirror? You're sweating away and you look very pale. And you're actually trembling," she pointed out.

Calvin looked down and saw what she meant. His limbs were vibrating, and he was shaking uncontrollably. Lapblood didn't wait to hear what he had to say in his defence. "Calvin, I've seen many people driven mad, including myself. There are many fates worse than death, and insanity is one of them. If you really need help, you have to let me know. Not only could you be a danger to yourself, but you could be a danger to others," she told him bluntly.

She then turned and shouted out, "Wake up! We're entering the jungle!" Her screech was loud enough to shake most people out of their sleep. "So fast? The journey down the river seemed so short," Icarus remarked, while stretching his wings.

"The currents have worked particularly well in our favour. You may not have noticed it, but we are travelling double the speed we normally travel. Although we might have been slowed down slightly by the loss of one boat," she informed him.

Icarus yawned. "Well, I'm not complaining," he declared, and he flew off the boat onto land. The boats docked themselves at the bank of what looked like an enormous, imposing jungle. The vines hung ominously, and the air felt murky when Calvin inhaled. He got off the boat, and found his feet sink slightly on the soft moss that growed on the floor.

"Follow Murellus! He will be our guide into schemer territory via the forest!" she said brusquely, "Remember, do not touch anything, and do not break out of line. The forest still holds many dangers. We must be extremely careful!"

Calvin looked up at the towering mass of trees and plants. _This is going to be one hell of a trek,_ he thought to himself. Just then, Lapblood's nose twitched. So did Flyfur and Sixclaw. And then the other rats and mice found their noses twitching.

"Murellus," Lapblood growled, "double the pace. The hunt is on."

**And that's it for chapter 15! I'm sorry there's not so much action in it, but that wasn't my primary focus for this chapter. I hope you weren't too bored by the dialogue or Calvin's dreaming. **

**To be honest, like Calvin, I have endured great loss that I try not to mention lest I become too depressed. My father and mother thankfully are still alive, but… never mind. It was honestly painful writing that part, but I guess I can relate to Calvin, so it wasn't too difficult. There was a very dark period of my life at one point, and hopefully I'm over that. The message I'm trying to send is… please treasure your parents and family.**

**Question: The name of my next chapter is "The Hunt is On." Who can guess what the chapter is going to be about?**

**Fly you High!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Hunt is On

**Hi Guys! A big thank you goes to Nykolas Rubidoux-Son of Hades for his encouraging review that made me feel much, much better! **

**The popularity of my story seems to be struggling from what I can see, (Haha only three views so far for chapter 15) so of course I'm disappointed. Nevertheless, I have promised myself that at the very least I would finish this story. I really want to write a series on this, but I have no clue if it's worth it. What's the point of writing stories if no one is going to read them?**

**I hope this chapter will help to pick up the pace once more, as I deliberately slowed it down for the last chapter. The jungle hopefully will provide an interesting backdrop for the struggles that the quest members will face. And there is the mystery surrounding the traitor. Is he or she in their company? Who is the traitor? Is there even a traitor in the first place? This period in the jungle might shed some light on the situation.**

**I hope you enjoy it, and I'm gonna plead with those reading my story to help me promote it or give it a short review. I don't want to give up on my story!**

**Chapter 16: The Hunt is On**

Murellus nodded, clearly understanding what Lapblood meant. "I'll be using the shortcut," he warned her.

Lapblood just growled, "I don't care which path we take. We need to get to the schemers base fast. A gust blew in our direction. I caught their scent. We have to move now, and fast!"

"Keep up with me!" Murellus barked, and Calvin finally saw the aggressive side of Murellus which had made him the famous Captain of the Guard under Flavius. Murellus broke into a light jog, moving down a deep, twisting forest path. One by one, the quest members followed him, trying to maintain his pace.

Calvin turned to face, Lapblood, baffled by the whole situation. "What's going on?" he asked her.

Lapblood looked extremely agitated. "We're lucky a gust of wind blew our way. In that gust of wind, I picked up the scent of schemers moving in our direction. A pack of at least thirty of them. They can't be more than a few hours away," she said tightly.

Even Calvin felt edgy himself. It may just be coincidence that schemers were moving in their direction. But it was more likely that they had discovered the quest members had escaped. And with the schemers, very little was left to coincidence. Lapblood was absolutely right. The schemers were pursuing them, and the hunt was on.

Then there was the fact that the schemers had promised to wreak havoc on Regalia if they had discovered that the quest members had escaped. That means Regalia could be totally destroyed by the time they reached the schemers' base of operations. That would render their entire quest useless.

Lapblood probably detected his anxiety. "This isn't the time to worry. Worrying will get us nowhere. We need to move. Keep up with the rest!" she urged him

Calvin broke into a jog as he followed Murellus down winding paths and through small clearings before entering back into the jungle foliage. The air seemed to constrict Calvin, and he found himself struggling to breathe in the dense atmosphere.

He wasn't the only one. He found many other quest members struggling to breathe as well. The fliers, who were flying only slightly overhead, were constantly bumping into trees and plants, and Calvin could hear them wheezing away. Even Murellus' pace had drastically changed, with the old fox huffing away while struggling to maintain his footing on the slippery moss.

Within minutes, the entire quest had come to a standstill, with everybody on the ground, gasping for air.

"The air… has never been… this heavy… before," Lapblood panted, struggling to stand up on the slippery moss.

Murellus nodded in agreement. "Schemers… have probably… tampered with… some plant… or done something to cause this… problem," he choked out.

Calvin felt as if he was being compressed by the very air. He saw some quest members dragging their body to one side to throw up. Through his unfocused eyes, Calvin saw Edward, Donegan, Cypher, Apex and Gnasher all throwing up. Perseus was flying around in distressed circles before he crashed into Temp, sending both of them sprawling all over the ground.

Lapblood swung her claw viciously at a tree, digging her claws into the wood. She then hauled herself up onto her feet. "This air is poisonous," she muttered to no one in particular.

She then called out in a sluggish voice, "Get up. We… have to move out of here, or we'll die."

The sound of the word "die" was enough to invigorate everybody back into action. Murellus, grunting in pain, pushed his body off the ground and began to move off again. More and more quest members began to follow him, and soon everybody had begun to move off except for Calvin.

He felt just too exhausted to move. The air began to swirl around him, and he found himself struggling to breathe even more. But facing the possibility of death, he just couldn't work his body to move. He almost laughed. Here he was, facing death, ending the long lineage of the Oberton family. Wasting Mr Carter's training. Letting his father down.

Even the thought of disappointing his father wasn't enough motivation for him to get up. Was the air messing with his brain? He couldn't tell. He could barely discern anything in his current state of mind.

He didn't expect anybody to wait for him. Who was he, after all? Just an Overlander tourist, a runt who couldn't even fight. Hell, had he done any fighting at all on this quest? He seemed to recall a vague memory of some serpent, but it was just too fuzzy for him. He found himself drawing out the knife that, apart from the guns, was the only other weapon he had. He swung it wildly, crying out in anger.

He had no idea why he was becoming so angry. Maybe it was because he was becoming insane… For some weird reason he enjoyed that feeling of becoming insane. He was relishing the idea of losing his mind. It felt so appealing, so alluring, so… enchanting. He wanted to dance in the water, he wanted to ride a horse, he wanted to fly an aeroplane. His wildest fantasies were fulfilling themselves in front of his eyes.

Suddenly, he saw Hero in his bed. He felt himself becoming so excited in such an unusual way. He rushed into bed with her, and embraced her tightly. He then engaged in a passionate kiss with her, feeling his lips tighten around hers. He pulled her closer to him, and enjoyed the warm feeling of Hero's skin against his.

When he opened his eyes, Hero was no longer in his bed. This time it was Samantha. He enjoyed Samantha's company just as he loved Hero's company in bed. He wanted them, he thirsted for them, he… needed them.

He suddenly rolled off the bed and fell onto the floor. He felt a sharp pain in his ankle, and then a sharp pain in his back. He looked up to find Mr Carter holding out a hand.

Mr Carter. Mr Bennett. His mother. His father, Richard Oberton. _Our legacy is immortal._ Ripred, Queen Luxa. Nerissa. Hero. Lapblood. Murellus. So many people.

He looked up at Mr Carter. "I don't need your help anymore Mr Carter. I've learned to get up myself. The vision of Mr Carter nodded, and disappeared.

And then Calvin summoned all his strength to get up. He placed both hands firmly on the ground, and pushed hard. It wasn't enough. He had no strength left in his limbs, but he continued to push harder. And harder. And harder. _Get up, _he told himself. _Get up Calvin_.

And then he felt the strength returning to his limbs, and he fended off the feeling of fatigue to get to his feet. He was a bit unstable at first, but quickly righted himself. His head began to feel less heavy, and his vision began to clear. His hallucinations began to disappear.

When his vision finally cleared, he found the rest of the quest members staring at him. Some like Lapblood and Murellus, looked on proudly, but most of the quest members were staring at Calvin in shock, gawking stupidly. "What's going on?" he asked.

Lapblood kept everybody grounded in reality before they could answer him. "This isn't time for a conversation. The schemers are still hot on our heels. We need to move quickly."

The rest of the quest members followed Murellus, as he trudged deeper and deeper into the forest. Calvin then nudged Lapblood. "What's going on?" he pressed her.

"The air that we breathed earlier is called Murk. It is released by a special type of plant called the Red Murk occasionally when threatened. It is proven to be a fatal gas which can kill. Through hallucination," Lapblood informed him.

"So why was everybody staring at me weirdly?" Calvin wondered.

"We keep samples of Murk in our laboratories in Regalia. Ever since we discovered it five years ago, we have been teaching our soldiers to resist the hallucinations created by Murk. Every single soldier, whether gnawer, nibbler or human, has failed on their first try against Murk, and require assistance to break out of the hallucination. You're the first creature anybody has ever seen to resist Murk on their first try," Lapblood explained.

"We all thought you weren't going to make it," Lapblood continued, "but just before I was going to shake you out of it, you suddenly rolled on your belly and began to push yourself up. That was absolutely incredible."

Calvin was caught totally off-guard by what she had described. He never saw himself as having the strongest mentality in a room. But that's what she had just said he had done. Fought off fatal hallucinations on his own. He had no idea how to react to that piece of news.

In the end, he just shrugged. "We better keep up with the rest," he said, making quick movements to catch up with the rest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lapblood smile, but he decided to ignore it. No matter how proud of himself he was for what he had achieved, there was still a long quest ahead of him, and complacency could prove to be his downfall.

He found himself walking next to Edward, who was fiddling with his sword. He then sheathed it and looked at Calvin. "What you did back there was amazing," he told Calvin.

"Yea, I heard from Lapblood. But I don't like the attention coming my way over the past few hours," Calvin replied.

Edward chuckled. "I know what you mean. I was once considered to be a very promising soldier. And a possible spouse of Queen Luxa at one point. It was between me and Conrad. Of course, we had heard about her attraction to the Warrior. But then he left and never came back. They say he died, as the prophecy had demanded. Then I pulled out of the race for Luxa. She was attractive, she really was… but she wasn't for me. Very bad-tempered and proud… not quite my type, you know?" Edward said good-naturedly.

Realising he had gone off point, Edward cleared his throat and went on, "But the point is I know how you feel. It's not pleasant to be in the limelight."

Calvin nodded in agreement. He could understand what Edward meant. "How old are you now?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Twenty-two. Two years older than Queen Luxa," came the reply.

"Do you have a girlfriend or wife?" he questioned Edward.

"Are you interrogating me?" he shot back light-heartedly, "I'm just jesting with you, Calvin. I had a girlfriend, but she decided to separate with me. She didn't like the idea of having a spouse who lived a life of fighting."

They walked in silence for a while more, before Edward spoke up again, "Some of the lads like Alfred and Hadrian have a name for you. They're calling you the Gunner."

Calvin felt a ripple of surprise surge through his body. "What?" he asked, not sure what to say.

Edward must have seen the look of surprise register on his face. "Relax, Overlander. Since we had a name for the last Overlander, we decided to give you a name too. And it's an apt name, considering your weapon of choice. I daresay it'll get popular when we bring this name back to Regalia. It's got a nice ring to it, eh?" Edward said with a wink.

Calvin rolled his eyes. "I'll never be called Calvin again, will I?" he asked exasperatedly.

Edward laughed. "I share the same sentiment as you, Gunner."

This time, Calvin couldn't resist laughing. It just sounded so ridiculous being called "Gunner" by a bunch of Underlanders. Lapblood turned around and shot him a glare, "Quiet, before you attract too much attention," Lapblood snapped.

"That's right, Gunner!" Hadrian called out from the front. Now everybody burst into guffaws, including Murellus and Hecate. Even the often serious Lapblood grinned at the sound of Calvin's new nickname.

"This is maddening," Calvin groaned. Edward had split his sides laughing away at Calvin's plight. For once, the mood of the quest actually lit up, and everybody was either smiling or laughing. It took Lapblood's fierce shout to bring everybody back down to earth.

"We have a schemer pack hunting us! We need to focus on the quest!" she growled. Everybody duly shut up, including Edward and Calvin.

For the next two hours or so, they proceeded through the thick jungle in complete silence. Calvin himself wasn't in a mood to converse with anybody in the first place. He was thinking about the events that he had gone through over the past two, three, maybe even four days. He realised he hadn't even bothered to check how long he had been in the Underland.

Another hour passed, before the group stopped at a fresh spring. Murellus shot Lapblood a questioning look, and Lapblood returned a knowing look. "We will camp here for the next few hours. Get as much water as possible and get as much rest as possible," Lapblood announced.

The group then gratefully put down their bags and other paraphernalia, before proceeding to collect water from the spring. Calvin saw many of the quest members gulp down the water desperately, trying to rehydrate themselves. Calvin realised he had drank very little water himself.

He reached into his backpack, before remembering he hadn't brought any bottled water along with him. Cursing under his breath, he swore to bring a water bottle the next time he came down to the Underland. If he ever returned to the Underland, that is.

Someone reached out to offer him a waterskin, filled with water. He turned to find that it was Erik.

Erik was in an abysmal condition. He had bandages on his right arm and both legs, as well as a heavy bandage around his forehead. Calvin quickly realised that it must have come from the fight with the squids and the serpents.

Erik's face was also covered with soil in some areas, which must have come from falling down whilst fighting to resist the Murk. He had a bump on his chin which looked swollen, and he saw a few drops of blood dripping from his right elbow. And this was a description which didn't even take into account his messy hair and numerous bruises, as well as his parched lips.

"No, keep it," Calvin said, returning the waterskin to Erik, "You need it more than me." Calvin felt really bad for Erik. He had gone through so much pain but still had the heart to offer Calvin his waterskin. In fact, Calvin was really deeply touched by Erik's offering.

Erik smiled warmly. "I was too rough with you back at the guard post when I covered your mouth to prevent you from speaking. Consider this a peace offering from a friend. Please accept it. I need it to clear my conscience."

Calvin accepted the offering and nodded in thanks. Hopefully this was the start of a great friendship to come. Or not. Erik, after all, was still older than him and was his trainer back at the arena. Calvin took a few quick sips from the waterskin. As every drop of water rolled down his tongue and then down his throat, he began to feel more refreshed and alive. He returned the waterskin to Erik, and said a sincere "Thank you."

Erik just smiled before heading off to refill his waterskin at the spring. Within minutes, he had joined a large majority of the quest members who had nodded off into sleep. Calvin contemplated whether he should try going to sleep or not. In the end, he resolved to stay awake, considering the fact that he had gotten a bountiful amount of sleep earlier, no matter how unpleasant some of his dreams were.

He quickly settled down against a tree to get some rest. That was when he heard light chatter coming from behind the tree. It sounded like Lapblood's voice, and then Murellus' distinctively raspy voice perked up suddenly. Calvin strained his ears to try and catch a portion of their conversation.

Suddenly, there was a period of silence coming from the group behind the tree. The Lapblood called out, "You may join us, Overlander."

She must have been able to pick up the scent of him trying to eavesdrop. He decided not to play quiet, as he had done a few days earlier in front of Ripred, so he stepped out into their clearing. He found Lapblood, Murellus, Temp, Cypher and Nike sitting in a circle, clearly engaging in a discussion before he interrupted them. Apologising softly, he took his seat next to Murellus and Nike.

Lapblood turned back to Murellus. "Where was I again?"

"The schemers' scent?" Murellus suggested.

"Ah yes," Lapblood said, triumphantly, "the schemers' scent." She cleared her throat, before reporting, "Before we reached this spring, I caught another gust of wind. We have stretched our lead over the pack of schemers by a few hours by taking the shortcut. But by taking a few hours' rest here, we're losing precious time. they will be gaining on us soon. But I think the group needs a rest. Or we might all end up slowing down."

"I agree," Nike piped in, "they need a rest. After all, we are ahead of schedule. We were only supposed to reach this spring tomorrow, according to Murellus."

"That being said, we didn't expect the pack of schemers to be on our tails so fast," Lapblood replied.

"Our aim should be to cross the nibbler colony by tomorrow evening," Murellus suggested.

"Yes. We can get rest, resources and supplies from our brothers and sisters in the colony. They haven't been attacked yet, have they?" Cypher directed his question at Murellus.

Murellus shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, no. Hence, we can cut down on the amount of water we take from this spring. We can rely on the water they will provide us. If we bring water along with us from this spring, it might slow us down."

"How many more days will we spend in the forest?" Lapblood asked Murellus.

"Three days, if we move at the speed we had today," came Murellus' terse reply.

"Then how long do we need to reach the base of operations?" asked Nike concernedly.

"Schemers, depends on, schemers," Temp answered.

Murellus nodded. "Temp is right. That will depend on the number of schemers we encounter in the tunnels leading up to the Skull Mountain. Our best case scenario is one day, but that's provided everything moves smoothly without a hitch."

"Just before the week is up," Lapblood noticed, "It is vital we get to the mountain by then."

She then asked Murellus, "Is this really our best case scenario?"

Murellus shrugged. "To a schemer, a best case scenario is the most realistic scenario he can think of. To us, there is no such thing as a best case scenario. Hence, I can't really offer a good estimate of what our best case scenario will be like," he replied honestly.

Calvin realised how desperate the situation could become if anything went wrong. They were already hinging on the hope of proceeding smoothly without many obstacles. And that rarely happened.

"We need to increase our pace even more. The Murk is behind us, so we should be able to jog or move faster without fear of running out of breath," he proposed.

"Right, Overlander is, right," Temp agreed.

Murellus looked slightly surprised by Calvin's abrupt input. Nevertheless, he nodded his head. "Calvin's right. We can increase our pace for the next few days."

Lapblood yawned. "Alright then. This meeting is over. We will speak again tomorrow," she said, scratching and wriggling herself free of some insects hopping around her, before she lumbered to one side to get some sleep.

So did the rest of the members, except for Calvin. He leaned back against the tree and reflected on the past few days again. He thought of his adventure so far, the people he met…

Calvin had no idea how much time had elapsed when he suddenly heard a loud animal noise. It sounded like a cross between a howl and a bark, maybe with some growling in it as well.

Within a second, every single quest member was on their feet. "Animal mating call?" Icarus asked hopefully.

Murellus snarled. "That is no mating call. The schemers have picked up our scent. They're calling for backup."

**Well that's it for chapter 16. If you have something negative to say about it, please, I invite you to comment about it in anyway you want in my reviews. Negative criticism is always welcome. If you have something good to say, please don't hold back as well. I invite you to review it as well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please, if you want me to continue writing, I invite you to review my story. Thanks alot guys! **

**Question: Do you think the schemers can catch up with Calvin and the other quest members?**

**Fly you High! **


	17. Chapter 17: Ambush or be Ambushed

**Hi Guys! For the umpteenth time, thanks a lot to Nykolas Rubidoux-Son of Hades and Witwickety for reviewing my story. It really keeps me going! But it is disheartening to see so few people reviewing my story. I would really really like to keep going but the truth is I only see meaning to carry on this story if people are willing to comment on it and appreciate it!**

**Anyway, this chapter will have a little bit more action as we begin the slow ascent towards the climax of the story. I hope you enjoy Chapter 17!**

**Chapter 17: Ambush or be Ambushed**

Lapblood took control of the situation immediately. "We have to split up to travel faster. The nibblers know the way to the colony, so they and Murellus will be leading each separate group. Cypher, take Arthur, Oedipus, Demeter, Hero and Temp with you. Apex, you will be followed by Flickmeat, Donegan, Agamemnon, Nike and Alfred."

Lapblood took a breather, before continuing, "Gradient, bring along Edward, Perseus, Erik and Ariadne. Vector, you will take Hadrian, Icarus, and Gnasher. Murellus, you're in charge of me, Flyfur, Sixclaw and Hecate."

"And the Overlander?" Murellus asked.

"He will follow us," Lapblood replied swiftly and stoutly. She then turned to face the others. "Take separate paths. Our target is to reach the colony by the end of the day. Move as fast as possible. Based on my smell, the schemers are less than two hours away. This may be the last time I see some of you. But don't let that be the case. I want to see twenty-six living animals when we meet at the nibbler colony."

Everybody nodded. Calvin could feel the tension rising in the air. He had a feeling that when they reached the nibbler colony, there would be some missing faces. He tried to put those negative thoughts aside, though. He couldn't let himself get distracted by such thoughts.

"Let's move," Cypher said gruffly, and he began his foray into another part of the forest. The other splinter groups quickly went their separate ways.

"That was pessimistic," Murellus commented.

"I'm being realistic, like a schemer," Lapblood snarled, "but I don't mistake that for me giving up hope. Let's go, Murellus!"

"Love you too," Murellus replied cheekily, and he broke into a light sprint down yet another winding path. Calvin ignored his tired bones and aching joints, breaking into a sprint himself as they tore down the path. Flyfur, despite her shoulder injury which she received while fighting the squids, was surprisingly matching Murellus' pace, while Sixclaw lagged behind slightly.

Hecate burst into full flight, extending her wings wide. Despite the tightness of space in the jungle, it seemed that this part of the jungle offered more space, and with Hecate's sublime maneuverability, she was able to fly in the air, and prevent any obstruction for other people while travelling on foot. Lapblood maintained a consistent pace throughout, jogging comfortably at her own pace.

Calvin had never been a particularly fast sprinter, but under Mr Carter's training, he had become used to maintaining a high endurance level while running. Murellus was moving very, very fast, but it wasn't too much of a struggle to keep up with the rest. In addition to the fact that the moss was less slippery at this part of the jungle, there was no presence of Murk, meaning it was a much easier task to run faster compared to the day before.

As time passed, Murellus slowed down his pace slightly, allowing for the team to catch their breath occasionally so they could continue running. Calvin began to feel his aches weighing him down, as his knees nearly buckled at one point after slipping a bit. Soon, he wasn't conscious of what his own thoughts were. He was running aimlessly, following whoever was in front of him, which thankfully, happened to be Lapblood.

His mind was whirling with adrenaline. It was messing with his thoughts, and he thought he saw Mr Bennett riding Lapblood. He gave his head a good shake, trying to refocus his vision. Suddenly he thought he saw the grey silhouette of Ripred crashing his way through the undergrowth on their right, but he shook his head once again and found that he couldn't see anyone there.

His mind was playing tricks on him, and they were aggravating him. Was the Murk entering his lungs again? After all, he had just seen a couple of hallucinations, and was struggling to run. However, he resolutely pushed these thoughts out of his head and focussed solely on running.

It seemed like one whole day before Murellus finally stopped for a breather. Everybody stopped running gratefully, bending over while panting heavily. Hecate was the closest to recovering, and even she looked wasted. "How… far are we… from nibbler colony?" Calvin asked between heavy breaths.

"Still quite a distance. We're not even halfway there yet," Murellus confessed, much to the ire of Lapblood.

"We're not moving fast enough. It's close to midday. The schemers will be closing in on us if we don't hurry," Lapblood growled.

"How do you even tell if it's midday down here?" Calvin asked incredulously, but his question fell on deaf ears.

Ignoring him, Murellus turned to face Lapblood. "Any faster and we'll die. Is that the objective of the quest?" Murellus argued.

"Then we need to push ourselves harder," Lapblood replied angrily.

"Clearly you haven't been listening to what I've been saying. If we go any faster, we'll die of exhaustion. Speeding up isn't the way to solve the problem. I thought you gnawers were smart," Murellus retorted.

Lapblood, Sixclaw and Flyfur immediately tensed, and Calvin noticed them unfurling their claws. "Would you like to insult us again, schemer scum? I'll tell you how to run faster. With me chasing you down the path, threatening to bite your balls off," Lapblood retaliated.

"That's disgusting," Calvin remarked, but once again, he was largely ignored.

"You think that scares me? I'll show you fear," Murellus snarled, before rearing up to his full height. That was when Calvin realised how big Murellus really was. He was easily Brutus' length, maybe even longer. He could stretch to a full eight feet, maybe even nine feet while on his hind legs.

"Me fighting you, you old cripple? I'd love that to happen, so I can tear your throat out on behalf of all gnawers," Lapblood shot back.

Murellus actually grinned at the sound of that. "Oh, how I'd enjoy myself wiping that smug smile of your face and replacing it with a look of horror when you realise just how wrong you were, gnawer whore."

Hecate attempted to diffuse the situation before anything got out of hand. "Stop bickering! Can you even believe what you're arguing over? Both of you are on the verge of killing each other over a small dispute. Is that how leaders should behave? The schemers are hunting us now. We won't make it in time if we continue wasting our time and breath squabbling over our course of action," Hecate snapped.

"Stay out of this, Hecate," Lapblood cautioned her, returning to stare with almost unadulterated hatred at Murellus. "No one insults a gnawer sand gets away with it. And certainly not you," she spat at Murellus.

Calvin had had enough of the quarrel. He whipped out both his pistols and trained one at Lapblood and one at Murellus. "I've had enough of you two screwing around. If nobody's gonna take charge properly, then I will. Get your act together, the both of you," he rebuked both of them.

"Don't aim that at my mother, Gunner," Sixclaw sneered. His tone then turned deadly serious. "Put the weapon down, or I'll come for you," he hissed.

"Touch Calvin once, and I'll come after you as well," Hecate flew to Calvin's defence.

"Can everybody just calm down?" Murellus sighed.

Lapblood bared her teeth into a snarl. And for a moment, Calvin actually thought Lapblood was going to leap at Murellus' throat. Then, she retracted her claws, but not before warning Murellus, "Count yourself lucky today, schemer. It is out of love for Regalia and its people that I choose not to fight you. But if you ever insult us, and me, again, then…" she deliberately trailed off.

"Count yourself luck-" Murellus began, before restraining himself.

"What was that, schemer?" Lapblood taunted.

"Shut up, Lapblood. If Murellus can control himself, so can you," Calvin leapt to Murellus' defence.

"Remember your place, Overlander," Lapblood growled at him.

"So should you. This isn't how a leader behaves," Calvin retorted.

"He's right, Lapblood. You have always been better than that. Your children are in front of you. Don't become the authoritarian in this group. We need a leader," Hecate added.

Lapblood shook with fury. However, she took in a deep breath. "Understood. Firstly, Overlander, keep those weapons. Secondly, we need to formulate a plan. What do you suggest, Murellus?" she asked through gritted teeth. Calvin quickly placed his guns back into his pockets, while Murellus responded to Lapblood's question.

"As mentioned earlier, I don't believe increasing our pace is the best solution. I suggest we set up a trap to ambush them. I don't see any other alternative. It's either we ambush the schemers, or be ambushed by them," Murellus answered.

Lapblood mulled over the idea for a while. Finally, she spoke up. "Good idea. Do you have any ideas where we can set up our trap? And how our trap should be designed?" she asked him.

Murellus scratched his head. "I've got a few ideas, but none of them seem very feasible." His eyes suddenly lingered on Calvin for a while, and a grin spread across his face. "Actually, I have a plan. We need to travel to a certain location though. It's about an hour's run from here. I'll explain to you what my plan is once we reach there. It's quite simple and effective, if performed correctly."

With that, he turned tail and burst into yet another light sprint. "Again?" Calvin grumbled.

Flyfur looked at him with sympathy. "It'll just be another hour more," she said encouragingly. The she leaned in to whisper to him, "I'm sorry about how Sixclaw treated to you. He gets very defensive when it comes to our mother. But his intentions weren't nasty and all."

Calvin just shrugged it off. "It's fine, I understand. I've lost my father as well. If my mother was still alive, I would have been very defensive of her as well," he replied.

Flyfur looked at him in surprise. "Your mother passed away as well?"

Calvin nodded sadly. "She passed away before my father. It was an illness that claimed her life. I have no parents now."

Flyfur's eyes dipped, and Calvin saw a glimmer of a tear in her left eye. "I'm sorry, Calvin. That must be awful. Life seems to have been so harsh on you. I feel so, so bad for you. If Queen Luxa knew about this, I don't think she would have expected you to join us on this quest."

"It's fine," Calvin replied calmly, "I'm sure many people here have lost their parents in wars as well. Some have even lost children. That must be even more agonizing."

Flyfur shrugged. "Before the past week, Regalia has not seen war for eight long years. It has been the longest period of peace in the history of the Underland. The old scars of the past have healed. We have been given hope."

"And now the schemers could take all of that away," Calvin observed. "You guys have it really rough down here."

"Is it really peaceful back in the Overland?" Flyfur asked him.

Calvin was going to answer with a resounding yes, but then he thought about all the chaos in the world. ISIS in the Middle East, natural disasters in Asia, rapists in India, the recent war in Afghanistan, racism, famine in Africa… these were just some of the first few issues that jumped to mind. There was so many other problems in the world that Calvin hadn't even properly considered yet. Income inequality, corruption… no, the Overland wasn't peaceful.

"No. I lived a privileged life back in the Overland, so I wasn't exposed to all the chaos in it. But our world takes a different form of chaos. A chaos you wouldn't even dream of. It's different up there. And people like me aren't doing enough to stop it," Calvin replied miserably.

Their conversation was interrupted by Lapblood's shout. "Flyfur, Calvin, get going! Or we're going to leave you behind!"

Calvin sighed. "I'm so weary already, I won't make it," he admitted.

"Get on my back. You can ride on me on your way there," Flyfur told him.

Calvin couldn't believe his ears. "No way!" he exclaimed, "if anything, you should be riding on me. You carried my caretaker back to Regalia despite being pursued by the schemers. There is no way I'm going to ride on you."

Flyfur rolled her eyes. "You saved our lives twice back on the boat. We're no longer equal. I owe you a favour," she reasoned.

Calvin shook his head. "That doesn't count. There's no way I will ride on you. Good luck persuading me."

"Look, you're tired. You need to catch up with the rest. We need you to make it. Did you see how Murellus looked at you just now and his eyes lit up? His plan involves you. You need to go. And I still have quite a bit of strength left in me. Come on, Calvin, just swallow your pride for once and ride on me," Flyfur persuaded.

Calvin finally decided to relent. "Your mom's gonna mock me," he groaned as he hauled himself onto Flyfur's back.

Flyfur grinned. "Hold on tight, but not too tight," she said with a laugh, and bolted forward. Calvin was nearly thrown off her back as she continuously accelerated, picking up the pace. At first, his heart pounded with fear, but then he started to feel the thrill of riding on Flyfur's back as she ran. It was an exhilarating feeling, and he was enjoying every second of it.

However, Flyfur closed the gap between them and the rest of the group within a few minutes. Calvin's session of fun was over. Lapblood turned and noticed Calvin riding on Flyfur. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Calvin felt himself turn bright red with embarrassment, and he quickly slid off Flyfur, thanking her along the way.

She was panting slightly, but she generally seemed unfazed by carrying Calvin. Calvin grinned at her a little sheepishly, and she returned his smile.

He found himself beginning to enjoy the company of the Underlanders. He hadn't felt like he had true friends for a long time. After all, back in the Overland he had very few real friends. A majority of the "friends" he had were friends who were just interested in his wealth and were hoping to leech off it somehow. Calvin noticed all of this, but never said them out aloud so as to prevent these people from being shamed.

Another uneventful half an hour of running passed. Calvin didn't want to engage in a conversation for fear of running out of breath while running, but he was also getting very bored from the lack of anything that grabbed his attention. He tried to enjoy the scenery, but in a jungle half covered in darkness and full of dull, drab plants that were all of the same colour, there was very little to enjoy.

Eventually, Murellus stopped running abruptly, and the group came to halt near some fresh plants. There were a few brightly coloured plants nearby, and that invoked Calvin to say, "A sight for sore eyes."

"Indeed," Murellus agreed, "but the good-looking plants are always the most dangerous. Don't touch them." He then turned to face the rest of the group. "Here's the plan. Round the bend of this path lies a mud pool. Let me show you."

Murellus then trudged forward, and brushed some plants aside, revealing the mud pool. Calvin noticed Lapblood grimace slightly at the sight of it. She then asked Murellus, "How did you know of its existence?"

Now it was Murellus' turn to grimace. "While deciding to betray my kind, I had to look for the fastest way to rush to Regalia. I happened to meet some… challenges along the way. I chanced upon this mud pool while following the path to Regalia."

He then continued, "My plan is as follows. We will all hide in the undergrowth while Sixclaw acts as bait. When the schemers come round, Sixclaw will rush towards the mud pool. As usual, the view of it will be blocked by the plants. Sixclaw will burst through the plants and jump. Your jump won't be far enough to reach the other side of the mud pool, but that's where Hecate steps in."

He then turned to face Hecate. "This is where your role is crucial. You must swoop fast enough to catch Sixclaw before he falls into the mud pool. I anticipate some schemers will fall in, but some will not. Then, Lapblood, Flyfur and Calvin must drive the remaining schemers into the mud. Pressure them, kill them along the way, I don't care. Hecate, you are to fly Sixclaw back so he can join in the fight. You can help as well, by picking them up and dropping them into the mud."

He then turned to face Calvin. "You will finish off the job by killing the schemers who are able to stay afloat in the mud. In case you don't know, the mud actually drags a creature underneath its surface if the creature thrashes and struggles. There will be schemers who will be smart enough to resist the urge to struggle. It is your task to finish them with your two guns. Then it's over. We have ambushed them successfully," Murellus concluded.

"Where do YOU step in?" Lapblood asked Murellus suspiciously.

"I won't fight my fellow species unless I absolutely have to. If I need to save your lives, I will step in. But it's highly improbable if my plan works," Murellus answered cooly.

"Prove to us that you can be trusted. Spill the blood of your fellow schemers," Lapblood demanded.

"I can't and I won't. I may have been hated back there, but there were schemers I trusted. Schemers… I… schemers I… was infatuated with," he stammered out.

Lapblood's hard expression softened. "Fine," she eased off, "but if any one of us here gets hurt because of your inaction…"

"I won't let that happen," Murellus promised.

Lapblood, seemingly content with Murellus' answer, turned to the rest. "Ok, let's get into position. Hecate, hang up on that tree and try not to be seen. Calvin, you will follow me and Flyfur into hiding. Murellus, you may join us. Sixclaw, position yourself nearer the mud pool. When you hear their footsteps nearing, burst out onto the path and lead them down it into the mud pool. When you jump, jump high, not far," she ordered.

"Shouldn't I move up front to scout for them?" Sixclaw asked.

"You can do that, but don't let yourself get seen. I want to eavesdrop on some of their plans if possible," Lapblood told him.

Sixclaw nodded obediently and scurried off to scout ahead. Hecate flew up to the branches near a dark tree, and camouflaged herself against the dark background. Calvin followed Lapblood, Murellus and Flyfur into the undergrowth. And then the wait begun.

Calvin felt a worm crawling up his leg. He swatted it off in frustration, creating a slight rustling noise and earning himself a glare from Lapblood. "Stay quiet," she whispered to him fiercely.

Not too long afterwards, they heard footsteps nearing, Sixclaw rushed over to their hiding place. "Schemers approaching. Not very big ones. About the size of a large gnawer. There are two of them. They'll be here in five minutes," he reported.

Murellus frowned. "Only two? I thought there was a pack hunting us. Did they find another group and chase after them instead?"

"It's possible," Lapblood murmured uneasily, "but when I scent told me a pack of easily thirty schemers were following OUR trail. It's highly unusual they would suddenly veer off course." Sixclaw nodded in agreement, before quickly speeding off to his hiding place, as the group waited patiently for the arrival of the schemers.

As Sixclaw had correctly estimated, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps just five minutes later. There was a relatively loud conversation going on, and Calvin listened intently.

"- single one of them. None spared. It was quite brutal," came one high-pitched voice.

"Did you know who did it?" asked a low, guttural voice.

Murellus peered through the bushes and nodded in confirmation. "Two," he mouthed to Lapblood, Flyfur and Calvin. Calvin took a quick peek and found two stout, but heavily-built schemers.

"Nobody knows. Evidence of a great struggle. We discovered teeth marks and claw marks. Not sure what type of creature did it. There was the presence of slash wounds that must have come from swords as well, apparently. Again, no actual confirmation about that," replied the first schemer.

"To think that one entire pack was slaughtered so efficiently. Either we're not the only ones hunting the quest members, or we're being hunted by someone," mused the second voice.

The group exchanged looks of surprise. Calvin couldn't believe his ears. The pack was dead? How? Killed by who? he didn't have time to ponder on the situation though. The plan had kick started into action.

Sixclaw burst out of the bushes and came face-to-face with the foxes. "A gnawer!" the second voice exclaimed. Sixclaw then burst down the path, with the foxes in hot pursuit. Murellus nudged Calvin. "Get out now! This is easier than I imagined!" he whispered excitedly. Calvin stumbled out of his hiding place and sprinted down the path.

He rounded the bend just in time to see Hecate swoop forward to catch Sixclaw. The two schemers, who were charging too fast, couldn't react in time. They tumbled headfirst into the mud, thrashing about furiously, sinking even more. Calvin realised what the mud was. _Quicksand,_ he said in his head.

The schemers, being schemers, quickly found out that struggling in the mud was causing them to sink, and stopped struggling, allowing their heads to stay afloat. Calvin closed his eyes, allowing a ruthless streak to enter his body. He calmly took out one pistol, and shot both foxes twice in the head. Their heads slumped forward, and then they started to sink into the mud.

"Good shots," Murellus said in approval, arriving by Calvin's side. Lapblood glanced over at the sinking bodies and shivered slightly. She then turned to Murellus. "What's next? The pack's off our trail."

"One pack may be off our trail, but if these schemers know about the death of that pack, then others know as well. I'm certain that at least four or five more different hunting packs have been deployed to hunt us by Flavius. He will leave nothing to chance. It's out of the frying pan, and into the fire," Murellus said grimly.

**Thank you for reading this chapter! Please remember to leave a review at the end so that I may improve as a writer! I wish you all a great weekend!**

**Question: Who do you think killed the pack of schemers? Was it a friend or foe of Regalia? Let me know any of your wacky ideas and speculate freely in the review section! **


	18. Chapter 18: Vines

**Hi Guys! My thanks goes to Nykolas Rubidoux-Son of Hades for your encouraging review. I'm glad you enjoy my story, and I really hope people could read it so I can improve as a writer. On your advice to add musing in between action scenes, I have tried to incorporate that suggestion, but I'm not sure whether I was successful. Nevertheless, I thank you for your review!  
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**Dear reader, before you continue to read on, PLEASE READ THIS WARNING. This chapter contains a discussion about homosexuality. If you're not comfortable with that, then please skip that part or don't read this chapter at all. My intention is not to start a massive argument over such a sensitive issue, but to see if I can explore how homosexuality is viewed in the Underland. **

**PLEASE NOTE: What is said about homosexuality in this chapter does not reflect my view about homosexuality. For now, I will not comment at all about it because I know it can be sensitive. So don't ask me for my stance on it because I'm not going to say anything.**

**This chapter has discussions meant for a mature reader, so my suggestion is that if you are 12 and under and you're not prepared for this kind of discussion, then don't read it. That's not to say anybody under 12 cannot read my story. BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED and I urge you to take this seriously.**

**Chapter 18: Vines**

The group wasted no time resting on their laurels following the killing of the two schemers. They had diverged off the main path, and it would take some time to return onto the main road to resume their journey. However, the jungle, being the jungle, offered numerous shortcuts, one of which Murellus suggested the group should take. Lapblood ultimately decided to go down that path, even though she seemed a bit uncertain about it. She whispered something to Murellus, who only nodded gravely in response.

That was the most interesting discussion over the past two hours. Being exhausted from the morning's events, Murellus and Lapblood decided to let the group walk for the next three or four hours instead of running. After covering their tracks up near the mud pool, they proceeded on with the rest of their journey in silence. Calvin was happy with that arrangement. He didn't feel like talking anyway.

He thought about the ruthless streak he had earlier. Back then, he felt himself devoid of any emotion when he fired the weapon. The overwhelming feeling of emotionlessness disturbed him. Calvin felt almost… cruel. A pang of sympathy hadn't even run through him despite the helpless position they were stuck in. They were like flies stuck in a spider's web. They must have despaired and felt desperate. And he had executed them without even batting an eyelid.

Of course the fact that they were schemers had been factored in. They were Regalia's mortal enemies at the moment. If he hadn't killed them, they might return one day to kill him. Or so he believed. But was that even true? If he was in the same position, would they have killed him? He knew schemers were rational creatures that rarely let their heart do the talking, but he was sure they had emotions. He had seen it in Flavius.

Even then, who was he to decide who to kill and who not to kill? He wasn't a judge or God. For all he knew, those schemers had a family back home. A young pup that needed their father to take care of them. A crippled mate who needed assistance everyday. Maybe they didn't even want to follow Flavius. Maybe they were forced to, or were threatened by Flavius to support his regime or they would die. How could he kill such people so ruthlessly?

The gnawers were once enemies of Regalia. But when allowed the opportunity to become allies, they discovered they had so much in common. They discovered they could be allies rather than enemies. They had a chance to discover they could be friends. Yes, sworn enemies who had been tearing at each other's throats for centuries could become friends. But so many lives had to be paid in order for that to come into fruition. Maybe one day they could ally with the schemers. Would they have to go through the same slaughter fest in order to get to that stage?

Maybe killing wasn't the answer to everything. Maybe war could be avoided if both sides chose diplomacy and learned to compromise and negotiate. If both sides were allowed to learn more about each other. If both sides were allowed to understand each other. If both sides could learn to be friends.

He thought about his conversation with Murellus, about whether empathy in the Underland was a weakness, about whether feeling sorry for another party was a weakness or not. He honestly had no clue what stand he was taking on that issue. Murellus was a battle-hardened soldier. He was used to seeing so much bloodshed. But then again, so was Ripred. And he ended up being the Peacemaker. Even soldiers could fight for peace if they truly wanted to. Perhaps if there was more people like Ripred, so much wasted blood and tears would not have to be shed.

The worst part was he had openly told Murellus that empathy could be turned into something good in the Underland. Even Murellus had appeared intrigued by that idea. from that moment on, Calvin was mentally determined to prove this to Murellus. But he had done the exact opposite. He had shown how emotionless he was. He had shown how emotion could be cast aside for what was necessary.

Calvin had prided himself on being someone who could feel others' pain, as someone who could empathise. Yet he had killed easily five creatures over the past twenty-four hours. Although those creatures weren't human, they were still sentient beings. They had felt pain and suffering. They were just trying to survive ultimately. And he had killed them for that.

The more he thought of that, the more miserable he became. Did morality still matter? Was honour still worth fighting for? Did the world really have no place for those who fought for what was morally right? This wasn't just a problem in the Underland. This was a problem in the Overland too. And the answer that Calvin knew but would never say was no, morality no longer mattered. People cheated, lied, and harmed others on their way to success. Maybe his own father had done the same thing. That was a rather depressing thought.

It was possibly, even probably true that what he had done to the schemers was not morally wrong at all. In a world where the fundamental belief to kill or be killed still remained, what he had done was perfectly fine. But Calvin was not perfectly fine with that. He was better than that. He was more than a killing machine, or gunner, or whatever the Underlanders would call him.

He wondered if he would still be feeling the same way if he had felt sorry for the schemers when killing them. That was a difficult question he struggled to answer. He probably needed to speak to someone like Lapblood or Ripred to clarify his thoughts, or just to discuss them so he could feel better and not get troubled by it. Distractions could be fatal here in the Underland.

Hecate had probably noticed his unhappiness and displeasure. She had joined the rest of the group walking on foot, since the tree tops were now too dense for her to fly at all. She quickened her walking pace slightly to catch up with him. They walked on in silence for a while, before she finally broke the silence, "What's wrong, Calvin?" she asked worriedly.

Calvin shrugged. "I'm fine," he lied, unsure whether he should discuss his feelings with Hecate. Despite how much closer he had become with her and how much more he got to know her, he just wasn't sure if she had the maturity or experience in war to discuss that issue. He mulled over for it for a while.

He decided to continue lying. "I was just thinking about my relationship with Hero," he said, pretending to seem shy, which wasn't difficult since he was talking about… Hero.

Hecate giggled slightly, before regaining her composure. "I knew there was something about you two. Do you want to to talk to me about it?" she asked sincerely.

Calvin soon realised he was equally unsettled talking to Hecate about Hero as he was talking about his emotions. "Well," he began, "I've got a few questions for you. Let's start with one now, if you're ok with that?" he asked, licking his lips slightly nervously.

Hecate nodded enthusiastically. "Go ahead. I'll be happy to answer your questions," she replied excitedly.

Calvin interrogated her right from the get-go. "Did you have any fellow bats you… romantically liked or were involved with?"

Hecate smiled, with a tinge of shyness, but it seemed more melancholic than anything else, much to Calvin's displeasure. He found that kind of smile quite creepy. "Recently, I've been quite fascinated by Dionysus, the King's bond. But there's nothing serious at all going on between the two of us. I had fallen in love with this bat called Hector. That was eight years ago, during the War of Time. One day, he confessed his feelings to me before following his bond into battle. He told me that he… liked me. I never saw him again."

As Hecate spoke, a tear slipped out of her eye and rolled down her cheek. Calvin felt a wave of pity for her engulf him. It seemed like everybody had dark pasts here in the Underland. It seemed like each and every creature down in the Underland had suffered some form of personal tragedy. He felt especially bad for Hecate. She, of all those in Regalia, probably deserved this kind of pain the least.

Hecate quickly recovered, though, and a bright, warm smile reappeared on her face. "I'm fine now, though. My brother was notorious for a while for his adventures with the females. By flier standards, he was extremely attractive when he was younger. He was rebellious and often didn't play by the rules. I rarely got to see him because he was always away from home trying something out. I loved him dearly, but he was never really that close to me. There were rumours he slept with Aurora, the queen's bond, and Andromeda, Mareth's bond. They're just rumours though. Ares died along with these secrets," Hecate said sadly.

Once again, she recovered quickly. "I'm done with my story here. Do you have any other questions?" she asked politely.

Calvin shook his head. "I think it's not fair for me to ask all these questions and expect you to answer them. I'll tell you my… situation, including all the juicy and delicious details," he said brazenly, resulting in Hecate giggling.

Calvin then took a deep breath and began, "Well, it started in the arena. I caught Hero staring at me, and oddly enough I found her really cute and attractive. The fact that she was courting Harold made me desire her even more for some weird and twisted reason. But we engaged in some subtle flirting, and that was how we got acquainted."

Calvin looked up at Hecate, who was stifling a laugh. "Yea, that's right, laugh at me," Calvin grumbled good-naturedly.

"Oh no! Please Calvin, continue! I promise I'll stop laughing at you," Hecate begged.

Calvin, with a broad grin on his own face, resumed his story. "Then she got angry with me back at the war council. She thought I was laughing at her when people were making fun of Harold and her being lovebirds. My laughter must have hurt her. She seemed pretty upset," Calvin sighed.

He went on, "For the next few encounters, we largely avoided each other, occasionally making eye contact but generally turning away every time we did. We just couldn't seem to speak to each other. But we made our breakthrough on the boat. We talked quickly about some stuff, flirted again, and then we nearly kissed before she pulled away, citing how disappointed she was in herself for letting Harold down. We haven't spoken much after that. I only hugged her twice after my battle with the squids and the serpents."

Calvin decided to leave out the part about how he had developed an attraction for Samantha along the way. Not only would it complicate his explanation, but he suspected it might confuse Hecate as well. And that could leave him in an even more complex situation with Hecate misinterpreting what he had said.

He also decided to leave out the part where he had hallucinated about her lying in his bed, before embracing her on his bed and kissing her passionately. For obvious reasons, that would be very difficult and awkward to explain to Hecate.

"Seems like a very bumpy romantic ride you've had," Hecate observed, "but as promised, I have a piece of serious advice for you. In fact, I have two pieces of advice for you."

Calvin nodded, and listened attentively to what she had to say.

"Firstly, don't mistake infatuation for love. It seems there is a mutual attraction between you two, but it could just be a physical attraction. That is part of nature, there's no other way to prevent it. Males get attracted to females and females get attracted to males. And sometimes… some creatures of the same gender get attracted to each other. Although very rare, it happens down here," Hecate explained.

"There are homosexuals down here? Do you… hold grudges against them?" Calvin asked in surprise.

"Of course, there are homosexuals. And we generally don't bother with them, as long as they don't bother the heterosexuals, " came Hecate's simple reply.

"It's just that your society here seems so… ancient, and back in ancient times, homosexuals weren't really accepted in society," Calvin explained his surprise.

"Calvin, homosexuality has been present in society since the beginning of time, or so we are taught. The acceptance of homosexuality has nothing to do with whether society is advanced or not," Hecate replied crossly, "Don't look down on us just because we appear backwards."

"That's what I was told back in the Overlander," Calvin told her.

"That's what you were taught to believe," Hecate corrected him, "There are many ways you can perceive homosexuals. I try to take a neutral stand. There are some who feel very strongly about their presence in society and some who fight for them tooth and nail. Both are too extreme and deluded and that is why the conflict remains in Regalia today."

Calvin decided to discontinue the conversation. The last thing he wanted to do was to think about yet another controversial topic and wrack his brain trying to decide his answer on that. Sensitive issues like that weren't his cup of tea. He decided to quiet down and not comment any more on the matter. He might end up insulting somebody, and that was never a good thing.

After a moment of awkward silence, Hecate cleared her throat. "I'm getting off point. My point is, love requires emotion and care. Not just downright physical attraction. This requires a clear distinction and please make sure of that distinction before pursuing Hero."

Calvin nodded. That was some useful advice he could keep in mind.

"The second piece of advice is to make up your mind early and let her know your feelings. We're in the middle of a war, Calvin. Anything could happen. If you really love her, you've got to let her know, even if she wants to choose Harold over you. It provides some form of… closure, for the both of you," Hecate concluded.

What Hecate said made sense, but was easier to say than do. To confess his love for her while fearing rejection was... wait, he didn't even know if he loved her. Hecate had reminded him of the difference between infatuation and love. He needed to get that sorted out first before doing anything.

His thought process was interrupted as they entered a small tunnel that seemed more like a cave than anything else. A number of vines hung at the entrance into the tunnel, and Calvin pushed past them to follow the rest of the group. Strangely enough, while most of the vines were soft, moist and a little disgusting as they should be, he could have sworn be brushed against a dry and… scaly vine.

Calvin cast that thought to the back of his mind. It was certainly a peculiar observation but apart from that wasn't significant at all. He thought he heard Lapblood whisper to Murellus, "Something's not right." Calvin began to feel even more uneasy in the tunnel. Although he wasn't claustrophobic, the shadows dancing against the walls of the tunnel were extremely creepy. Not that he could do anything about that, of course. They needed the lamp to see where they were going. It was just a bit… harrowing.

Calvin felt something shift next to his boot. He looked down, but couldn't find anything. He caught a glimpse of something slithering along the ground. It could have just been his eyes playing tricks on him though. That seemed to happen a lot down in the Underland.

They found themselves close to the other end of the tunnel, which was also covered with vines, when Murellus suddenly stopped moving forward. "Back off," he growled, "back of to the centre. We're surrounded by hissers."

"Hissers?" Calvin asked, confused by all the different terms for the different animals in the Underland.

"Snakes," Flyfur informed him, as the group retreated back to the centre of the tunnel. Calvin whipped out his two Glock pistols, consciously choosing to let the other gun remain hidden even in company he trusted. He noticed Hecate was extremely restless and was fidgeting. She kept extending and retracting her wings nervously, bouncing up and down.

_She can't do anything in a cave like this_, Calvin realised. Apparently he wasn't the only one who noticed that. "Hecate stay in the centre. We'll protect you here. I promise not a single hisser will reach you. The rest of you, form a circle around Hecate, and make it tight," Lapblood commanded.

Calvin found himself next to Murellus and Sixclaw in the circle protecting Hecate. Murellus' eyes were firmly fixed on one end of the tunnel, while Sixclaw's eyes were fixed on the other end of the tunnel. Some of the thick dense vines hanging around the entrance and exit of the tunnel still remained, but many had disappeared. Calvin quickly realised the scaly vine he had brushed against was a snake, as well as the small creature that slithered around his boot.

"Why are they attacking us?" Calvin wondered aloud.

"We are deep in their territory. I should have spotted their scent earlier," Murellus growled in frustration.

"What do we do now?" Calvin asked.

"Wait for an attack," Sixclaw replied bluntly.

This was probably one of the most tense moments Calvin faced in the Underland so far. Fighting a battle was horrible, but waiting on the edge of one in a dark, damp and unpleasant tunnel was even worse. Most of all, Calvin worried about his emotions. Should he still continue to slaughter without mercy? Or was that just a distraction? Could he fight while maintaining basic moral decency?

He didn't have time to answer that question. A snake flew out of nowhere, and was quickly sliced into two by Lapblood. The assault had begun.

A wave of snakes shot through the air at the group, and Murellus lunged forward to intercept some of them, teeth and claws all extended. Blood spewed all over the place as Sixclaw joined the fight, his teeth bared in a fierce and frightening snarl.

Calvin, on the other hand, was facing problems using his gun. The snakes were entering his line of vision far too late for him to react, and because of their small size, he often relied on Sixclaw and Murellus to cover him. Out of the forty odd snakes that had attacked his area, he must have killed easily less than a quarter of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hecate cowering in fear and shaking uncontrollably. It must be terrible for her to watch on as her friends fought, knowing she was ultimately helpless.

His distraction nearly cost his life. One snake broke through Murellus' and Sixclaw's defence and lashed out at Calvin. For some reason, Calvin saw the next few seconds in slow motion. The snake opened its jaws wide, its fangs glistening with venom and it rippled through the air. Calvin let his instincts take control of him. As the snake drew nearer, he found himself dropping both guns and reaching out for it with his bare hands.

His hands closed around the back of its head and he squeezed tight, preventing it from moving forward any further. The snake hissed in irritation, as Calvin kept it at bay with his bare hands. For a while they were locked in that position, with Calvin clueless as to what to do next. Eventually, he flung it away, picking his weapons up again, and continuing to shoot.

"That was close, wasn't it?" Murellus remarked, as his claws raked through yet another serpent's body. Calvin nodded and swallowed nervously, trying to regain some composure. This was no time to get distracted.

He swore in frustration as he saw his bullet narrowly zip past a snake's head. He was really struggling to make himself of use in this fight. The snakes were just too small a target to hit in such dim lighting. Thankfully, the assault had already begun to die down. Easily over a hundred, maybe two hundred snakes lay strewn all over the floor in front of the group. Murellus snapped one snake into two in the last piece of action. Or so Calvin thought.

He relaxed and put his guns away, only for Murellus to warn him, "Overlander, we're not done yet."

Before Calvin could even comprehend what Murellus said, a gigantic wave of snakes sprang through the air at the group. Calvin heard Lapblood scream out an order, but he couldn't hear it clearly. Time was slowing down in front of him again. He pulled out his guns again and fired once, twice, thrice, and soon beyond counting. With the massive wave of snake attacking, it wasn't that hard to hit at least one of them while firing.

Blood once again flew everywhere. He heard Murellus and Sixclaw shouting and adding to the chaos in the cave. Murellus was attacking with full force, spinning and whirling as he tore through the horde of snakes. Calvin roared as he continued to shooting, but soon he was firing empty clicks at them. Realising that he was out of ammunition, he quickly unsheathed his knife. There was no time to reload. The snakes were coming thick and fast.

Calling upon the training he received from Mr Carter and Ripred, he slashed at the snakes fiercely, hacking down snake after snake. Soon, they were in retreat, slithering away quickly towards the exit of the tunnel. Calvin breathed heavily, watching the entrance and exit of the tunnel warily. But an attack never came. The fight was over.

He wiped the blood staining his knife on his shirt, before keeping it, as the rest of the group groomed their fur, and wiped the blood away. Lapblood flicked a piece of snake off her body, and then turned to face the group. "That was tight and close. Let's get out of here. We're nearing the end of the day," she said to them.

The group scrambled out of the tunnel quickly, eager to get away from the vines. Murellus sniffed the air. He was clearly surprised by what he had smelled. "We are quite near the nibbler colony. I can smell their scent in the air. We'll be there in half an hour at most."

Everybody cheered at the good news, and even Lapblood breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's not get complacent. The sooner we get there, the better," she reminded them.

Excited to reach their destination, they trudged on through the forest with increased pace. Suddenly, Murellus held up his claw. "We've got company," he warned.

"Get into position!" Lapblood barked, and the group quickly spun into a circle. Calvin yanked out his pistols and watched the bushes. There was something or someone moving through it, for sure…

Cypher's and Vector's groups burst through the bushes, coughing away. "Put your weapons down! It's just us!" Cypher shouted in panic when he saw Calvin training his gun on them. Calvin quickly put away his weapon, as the rest of his group retracted their claws as well.

"Good to see you too, Cypher. You travelled with Vector?" she asked.

Cypher shook his head. "We met along the way just a few minutes ago. It seems we're all converging onto the same path," he noted as Gradient's group also burst into the clearing.

"Well, most of us are together now," Lapblood said with relief. She then called out, "Any casualties?"

Her question seemed to merit a grin from most of the members of the quest. "No casualties!" Cypher replied, "Don't know about Apex's group, though."

"None," came the curt reply as Apex and her group strode into the clearing.

"That's fantastic!" Lapblood exclaimed, genuinely sounding jubilant, "we're reunited now. Let's get to the nibbler colony now, shall we?"

Calvin looked at Hero, who, despite seeming a little shakened, looking generally safe. She cast a quick glance at Calvin, and shot him a small smile. He smiled back in return. In truth, he was extremely glad the quest members were generally safe. He was in no mood for mourning anybody's passing.

Apart from Arthur, who sustained a painful slash wound from fighting a stray schemer, nobody had any major injuries. In good spirits, the group quickly moved through the jungle towards the massive clearing which led to the nibbler colony. There was a little spring in everyone's step seeing as few people were hurt.

Calvin made his way to the front of the group excitedly, as they walked out into the open clearing. He shoved the branches aside and took a look.

His jaw then dropped in astonishment.

**Yay! Mini cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I suspect it might be my longest yet! Once again, allow me to remind you that none of what is said in this chapter reflects what I think about homosexuality and I'm not trying to impose a certain thought process into people's minds. I AM NOT responsible for a change in view about what you think of this issue.**

**With that, do have a great week ahead!**

**Question: Why did Calvin's jaw drop in astonishment?**

**Fly you High!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Nibbler Colony

**Hi Guys! Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been very, very busy and I haven't had the time to finish this chapter all week. Lots of thanks goes to The Primordials' Champion, who has followed and reviewed my story. Do go and check out his story. It has a fascinating plotline. Thanks goes to BlackWolfUnder who has also started following my story. Please review it as well as I value reviews a lot. It helps me to improve as a writer and helps me to feel appreciated(no matter how pathetic that sounds.)**

**As mentioned previously, and for the umpteenth time, I urge my readers to review my work! I've said enough about that, but I'm starting to get thoroughly disappointed and a little angry. I'd like you to review my work so I don't feel it's going to waste. Thank you.**

**Here is Chapter 19. As I have been out for a while, you may notice a slight drop in standard, but hopefully you can still enjoy the story.**

**Chapter 19: The Nibbler Colony**

Calvin looked at the vast expanse in front of him. He looked at the nibbler burrowing holes, the small mud huts made through soil, wood and other plants. The backdrop was beautiful, with the countless brightly-coloured plants lighting the scenery up. For a civilization built up in the forest, it was nothing short of fantastic and even phenomenal. But that wasn't why he was looking at the scene in astonishment, nor was it why the entire group were looking on in shock as well.

The colony was completely and utterly destroyed. The stench of death filled the air, and Calvin saw the ground littered with rotting corpses. There was a small fire going on in one corner, and blood had fanned out all over the colony. Many of the small huts had been razed to the ground, and many burrowing holes had collapsed inwards. Who knew how many more corpses lay under all that soil.

Calvin saw the mice all howl out in sorrow. Their cries and sobs were just agonising to hear, and they through their bodies prostrate in front of the carnage that used to be their home. The rest of the quest members could only watch on silence as they surveyed the once proud nibbler colony, being reduced to nothing but fire, carnage and dead bodies.

The schemers were really the most brutal creatures in the Underland by a large stretch. Not a single mouse had been left alive. This didn't seem like a routine attack by a schemer, where their intention was to conquer land. This was to send a message, probably to the quest members. They meant business here in the Underland, and weren't beyond such disgusting means.

To a certain extent, there was a dark part of Calvin that actually admired the schemers for how devastatingly ruthless they were. They had taken the entire Underland by storm with their fierce divide and conquer tactics and had struck fear into the hearts of their enemies. Even Calvin felt the feeling of trepidation ripple through his body.

"If they were hoping to kill off our morale, they've done a good job," Murellus murmured softly.

Lapblood grunted in agreement. "How the schemers can be so deadly and cruel is just beyond me. I've seen a lot of horrible things in my life, scenes that can make you toss and turn in bed and not be able to fall asleep." A shiver ran through her body as she concluded, "This is easily one of the worst."

"Well, you did say you wanted to see twenty-six animals alive when you reached the nibbler colony," Icarus pointed out, with a tinge of dark humour in what he said.

Lapblood didn't respond to that. "Let the nibblers grieve for a while more. This must be too painful for them to watch and then move on immediately. In the meantime, Murellus and Calvin please follow me," she ordered.

Lapblood led them to one side. "Calvin, since I need to speak to you separately immediately after this, you may listen to this conversation anyway," she told him. With that, she turned to Murellus. "I'm not sure whether we should stay at the nibbler colony for the night. If the schemers did this as a message for us, they may be lying in wait for us there. It could be a trap," Lapblood said concernedly.

"Not sure about that. The schemers may not have intended for us to see this. This could just be an act of sheer ruthlessness. I can't determine what it is. I'm no longer receiving intelligence from Flavius' camp," Murellus said frustratedly.

"Even if we accepted that the schemers haven't set up a trap for us here, there is still the issue of the nibblers. It might be too large a psychological blow for them to handle. They're resting here for one night, next to their dead friends and in their broken homes. I'd be very disturbed and traumatised if I were them," Lapblood pointed out.

"I understand that. But there isn't any other location in the jungle that we can reach in time to get any form of rest. Everybody is already so fatigued. Any schemers hunting us will track us down easily and kill us. The nearest location is one full day away. We won't make it at all. There aren't any other viable alternatives," Murellus explained, with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

Lapblood growled in irritation herself. "Then we have no choice but to stay in this graveyard," she concluded eventually. "Thank you for your advice, Murellus. You may take your leave. I would like to speak to Calvin separately."

Murellus raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue with her. He bowed politely and jogged off back to where the rest of the group was. "I hope you still haven't shown your hand yet," she asked him quietly.

Calvin took a little while to realise what she was talking about. "No, it's still hidden," he confirmed.

Lapblood nodded in approval. "Keep it that way. But I fear you may have to use it soon. Our enemies are closing in on us. The traitor that I suspect is in our midst has yet to strike directly so far. A monster capable of killing a whole pack of schemers is on the loose and could be hunting us down as well. We need as much use of your strengths as possible. Is it a special type of gun?" she asked.

His last gun was an Uzi. Simply put, it was a relatively light gun which could be used for rapid firing. It was his only working rapid-fire gun in the collection he had back home. He had smuggled it down, concealed with thick layers of cloth. Just as well he had done that, as Ripred and Lapblood had both told him to keep it hidden.

"Yes. Yes, that gun is special," Calvin answered confidently.

"Good," Lapblood said while looking slightly more pleased, which wasn't saying much considering the massacre they had just seen. "Quite savage, isn't it?" she said, looking at the colony.

"Yea. That's just downright cruel. That's cold-blooded murder. I didn't know anyone was capable of such things," Calvin remarked.

Lapblood looked at him. "Well, now you do. The schemers are warped, sadistic creatures. It's an inherent part of their nature. That's why I initially didn't trust him," she said, casting a look at Murellus.

"And you do now?" Calvin asked in amazement.

"Not quite," Lapblood confessed, "although he has proven himself to be quite trustworthy on this quest so far. I didn't like his insolence back when we were arguing, but I guess I was partly to blame too." She then turned to look intensely at Calvin. "Do you want to tell me anything?"

This was the perfect opportunity for Calvin to voice out his feelings about the chaos in the Underland. "Yea, yea I do," he said, "Back when I was killing the two schemers stuck in the mud pool, I had this ruthless streak within me. I felt no sympathy killing them. I might even say I enjoyed it. And although they are schemers and they are warped and twisted monsters I was just disturbed by my mentality while killing them," he told Lapblood frankly.

Lapblood leaned forward with interest. "Carry on," she prompted him, "Tell me all your thoughts."

"Maybe those schemers that I killed were innocent and had families to take care of. Maybe Flavius threatened them to do so or they'd lose their lives. I don't know these things. Who am I to judge anyway? The humans here once thought you guys were horrible, disgusting creatures as well. But when allowed to ally with each other, you found goodness in each other," Calvin argued.

He swallowed, before continuing. "My point is, why must everything down here be solved with war and bloodshed? Isn't diplomacy possible? Why must death and destruction be a perennial part of everybody's life down here? Why can't we see through the differences and ally with the schemers? There is good in Murellus. You've seen it in him. Maybe there are more schemers like him."

Lapblood remained silent. Calvin just rumbled on, "I have always seen empathy as a strength rather than a weakness. I believe it is empathy that makes us unique, that makes us who we are, whether human or not. I have always believed I am an empathetic person, and that my empathy allows me to judge what is right and when the time is right to do the right thing. It has become part of the foundation of my morality. To experience that ruthless streak questions the fundamental basis of my morality. And I don't know whether I can live with that," Calvin finished emphatically.

When Lapblood didn't respond, he quickly added, "I know this world isn't used to having moral standards. Neither is the Overland. But if we choose peace over war, then we do not need to suffer anymore. I understand that my actions and thought process is common here in the Underland, but I'm better than that. You are better than that. We all are better than that."

Lapblood finally spoke up. "I respect your opinion. In fact, I would say it is a very mature thought that I wouldn't expect to come from someone as young as you. That being said, it is a very innocent and immature thought at the same time, and is nothing more than wishful thinking."

Noticing Calvin's perplexed expression, she quickly went on to say, "Let me explain the paradox that I have just stated. It is not common for anybody in the Underland to understand the futility of war. There are a few of us veterans who know the true pain and suffering of war. Ripred is one, I am the other. Throw in Mareth and there's a grand total of three of us. Even Luxa doesn't agree with us. For her, the answer has always been war."

"Why?" Calvin asked frustratedly. "Why all this war for nothing? Why go through years of hurt and sorrow for nothing."

Lapblood shook her head. "That is where you are naive. The wars we fight are never for nothing. We are always combatting existential threats. We are fighting for our lives. And all the honour in the world cannot give you your life back."

"I'd rather die for something you believe in rather than live with eternal regret and guilt," Calvin stated fiercely.

"You may think so, but the ones who love you need you. And it would be selfish for you to forgo your life out of a sense of justice at the expense of the people who really need you. And the brutal truth is the only time for morality is times of peace. When war comes, survival is necessary, and we must compromise on honour," Lapblood pointed out simply.

Calvin was at a loss for words. He just looked down and refused to speak. Lapblood looked at him sympathetically. "I know it's difficult to judge what is right. Almost nothing in our world can be categorised into black and white. Only you yourself can find that balance," she concluded.

Satisfied with that answer, Calvin turned and trudged back towards the rest of the group. But Lapblood suddenly called out to him, "Wait, Overlander."

He turned back to face her. She had a wry smile on her face. "The gun isn't invincible, is it?"

He knew what Lapblood was referring to. Back when they were fighting the snakes, he had been caught out on too many occasions because of his over-reliance on his guns. It was only when he drew out his knife then he was able to effectively kill the snakes. "No, it isn't," he conceded, agreeing with her.

Lapblood nodded slowly. "That was an important lesson. Your gun cannot solve all your problems. That is precisely why we trained you with a sword. Both weapons have their strengths and weaknesses. But if you are adept at both, then you can become a truly unique fighter," Lapblood said.

With that, she walked past him, immediately heading towards the mice to console them. Calvin stared into the distance, the desolation which was once a thriving colony. He wasn't sure about his own morality, but Lapblood was right. He had to put that aside for a while. Only more people would die if he refused to act. Besides, looking at the atrocities that the foxes had committed, he was even more determined to fight and kill them.

His shifting mentality was disorienting him slightly. He decided to move away from the confusion, but it wasn't easy. Everywhere he turned, he saw misery and destruction. It was driving him beyond insane. Then, he felt a hand slip into his. He turned to find Hero, her eyes brimming with warm tears, and standing next to him.

"You know, despite all this chaos, you can still find love and peace," Hero muttered, looking at Lapblood consoling the mice, "It's just hard to find. The gnawers and the nibblers were once sworn enemies. But now one of the most well-respected gnawers in the Underland is comforting four nibblers."

"It's incredibly heartwarming," Calvin agreed. He observed that even Murellus had a slight hint of a smile on his face. Hero was right. Amongst the catastrophes and disasters that occur in wars, there is still love if you choose to see it.

For a few minutes, Hero and Calvin just stood there, staring at the whole scene in front of their eyes, their hands locked together in a tight grip. Finally, lapblood got up wearily, and said to the quest members, "We will stay here for the night. There are some empty burrows further ahead. We'll use that for our sleeping area. Get as much rest as you can. Tomorrow we need to travel a long distance, as we hope to reach schemer territory by the day after tomorrow. There's a fresh spring nearby, for those who are thirsty. But for all of you, remember to eat up. You'll need the energy."

Lapblood then quickly made her way down the slope towards the nibbler colony, with the rest of the quest members sticking closely together. Lapblood was constantly sniffing the air, and so was Murellus. Calvin realised that they must be checking the area for the presence of any schemers.

They trekked past countless dead mice, and some of the humans were kind enough to shield the mice from the view. Many of the dead mice either had their throats torn out, or their bellies sliced open. The sight was nothing short of gruesome. Flies were buzzing all around the dead bodies, and Calvin had to cover his nose to prevent himself from smelling the scent of rotting corpses.

He was vaguely aware that Hero had left his side to puke, but he wasn't too concerned about that. Hecate had gone off to check on her. He had to focus on himself so that he wouldn't puke as well. Finally, after what seemed like a millennia, they reached the empty burrowing holes which, thankfully, was a significant distance away from the carnage.

The mice quickly settled down, whimpering away in one corner, whispering quietly to each other. Erik offered to go off on his own to fetch water for the rest of the quest members, and everybody accepted that graciously. Nobody was in the mood to move about or do anything.

Calvin took a walk down the burrowing hole, and realised how big it actually was. It was about three metres deep, with a slight incline while walking down into it. The nest itself had enough space for maybe six or seven humans to sleep. The sleeping conditions actually looked half-decent. He dumped his backpack at one corner and took off his armour, while placing his guns back into the backpack, before heading out of the burrowing hole.

Outside, they had begun to have a meal, with rice and corn brought from the farming fields being distributed to most of the quest members. Erik had returned quickly with a few bottles of water and filled waterskins. Everybody sat around the fire that Arthur had started, quietly chewing away at the food.

The mice refused to eat. They sat in the burrowing hole, huddled together, gazing at their destroyed home sadly. Calvin was feeling quite disconcerted himself. The past day's events had brought along some overwhelming experiences that wouldn't stop whirling around his head. He was feeling incredibly exhausted, and was faintly aware of somebody addressing him.

He shook his head, trying to shrug the dizziness off, but even that was in vain. Shoving another spoonful of rice into his mouth, he stumbled to his feet, and after mumbling a quick goodbye to the other quest members, he lurched forward and backwards, before finally staggering into the burrowing hole.

There was a pain in his head, and it began to intensify as he collapsed onto the nest. Through his blurred vision, he saw Lapblood walk into the burrowing hole, calling out his name. He waved his hand in the air woozily, signifying to her that there was no need to worry, but his mind was an absolute mess. He last remembered Lapblood collapsing down next to him, before he began to see stars, as he seeped into unconsciousness…

Lapblood's earth-shattering howl shocked him back to his senses. Calvin felt a slight throb in his head, but with Lapblood's howl hitting massive decibel levels, he forced himself to his feet. He took a few steps forward unsteadily, as he tried to fight off the sluggishness. He heard a massive commotion going on outside the burrowing hole, and forced every ounce of strength he had to lumber out of it. He found all the quest members rushing all over the place, searching through burrowing holes.

He caught hold of Murellus, who was also frantically searching the area. "What's going on?" he asked.

"The nibblers. They've disappeared. We're trying to find where they are," Murellus explained briefly, and the concern was evident in his voice.

"Was anyone standing guard last night? Surely that someone must have spotted them," Calvin pointed out, vexed by how the mice could have just vanished into thin air.

"That's the problem. Everybody was so drowsy last night that everybody went to asleep. The mice just disappeared without anybody's knowledge. And there is the issue of us being sleepy. I'm very concerned over that issue," Murellus expressed.

A sudden realisation dawned on Calvin. "The nibblers were the only ones who didn't eat the food. We all ate the food and went to sleep," he began drawing the links, "which means that our sleepiness must have had something to do with the food. We were all drugged."

Murellus nodded grimly. "You know what that means," he said darkly.

Yes, Calvin knew what that meant. This was the work of a traitor. "We need to discuss this with Lapblood later. But the disappearance of the nibblers is more important," Calvin stressed.

Just before Murellus was about to reply, Edward called out, "Guys! I think I've found them!"

Within seconds, the whole group have converged on Edward's spot. But they couldn't see or find any mice around his area. "This isn't a time for fooling around, Edward," Lapblood growled angrily.

Edward, shook his head, his face all green. "I'm not," he said weakly, and he pointed at a fresh pile of ash sitting a few feet away from them.

Initially, nobody understood what he was referring to. But then Agamemnon moved forward for a closer inspection of the ash, and his body then convulsed with shock. He turned around, and with a look of pure fear, stammered out, "It's them. I saw... Cypher's paw. It's very… distinct."

Calvin reared back in disgust, as most of the members of the group gasped in shock. Only Lapblood seemed to maintain her composure. "They were burnt alive," she described calmly, before asking, "Edward, can you tell who did it?"

Edward nodded slowly. "Unfortunately I do." He gestured at the inscription next to the ashes.

Only Lapblood had the guts to walk forward. She gingerly avoided stepping on their ashes, and peered at the inscription. "_We are sorry, but we must leave to join our brothers and sisters," _Lapblood read aloud. She looked up and faced the group. "They took their own lives," she said bleakly.

Just as she was about to continue, they heard an ear-piercing shriek.

**Finally! I struggled to get that chapter out. I need to get back into the momentum of writing. I've not been writing for a week so that has severely hindered my speed and quality of writing. Hopefully I can conclude this story before the end of June.**

**Remember to review my work! Please please please I beg you guys! Review my work! I'm begging you guys! I'm desperate for inspiration!**

**Question: What was that ear-piercing shriek all about?**


	20. Chapter 20: Race to the Rapids

**Guys, I was on the verge of giving up my story. It WAS so thoroughly depressing that the original introduction to my chapter was begging all of you for reviews. I hated being reduced to nothing but a beggar for reviews. But that happened to me. It was thoroughly depressing and disappointing. However, as you can tell, I feel no such way now.**

**IMightWriteAFanfic, thank you for reviewing my work. Your comments are genuinely encouraging and heartwarming, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reviewing my work. I won't exaggerate when I say you might have just revived my story! I have taken note of some of your comments on how to improve(especially the Ripred one. I'm taking great notice of that)**

**I urge all my readers to follow in the stead of IMightWriteAFanfic, as well as all the other reviewers before him to review my story. I want to continue, but, as mentioned earlier, it's the reviews that encourage me to continue. Once again, thanks to IMightWriteAFanfic.**

**Anyway, here's chapter 20. There may be a surprise in store at the end of the chapter, or not :)**

**Chapter 20: Race to the Rapids**

"It's coming from the trees behind us," Murellus reported, spinning around immediately. A second high-pitched shriek shattered the silence once more. This time, Calvin recognised the voice.

"It's Hero," Lapblood realised. Calvin found himself taking off immediately, sprinting in the direction of her voice. He put everything he had seen and heard at the back of his head. He needed to find Hero rapidly, and that was the sole task he was going to focus on. He found Lapblood and Murellus joining in the sprint as well, but he ignored that. The last thing he wanted was to be distracted while rushing into combat.

Finally he burst through some vines into a clearing, which was surrounded by beautiful plants. For a split second, he gazed in wonder at the brilliant array of colours, before his eyes settled on Hero, who was standing in the middle, trembling uncontrollably. "What's wrong?" he asked her, getting straight to the point.

She pointed at one of the plants. "I saw... " she stuttered, "I saw Arthur in there."

Calvin turned to look at one large, bright-red plant that seemed to stand out in the middle of the jungle beauty. That red plant seemed to symbolise happiness, and peace, and… nothingness. Calvin could smell its scent in the air. It seemed to seductively lure him towards it, and to be honest, he didn't mind. It was so enchanting, it was so… charming. He wanted to live next to it for the rest of his life, maybe even live in it…

"GET AWAY FROM THAT, CALVIN!" Lapblood yelled as she entered the clearing. She threw her whole body against Calvin and knocked him away from the plant. Calvin landed with a painful thud and was left sprawling all over the floor. He struggled to his feet, his mind still fixated on tasting the honey and nectar in that plant, but Lapblood pushed him down with her paw. "Don't you dare touch that plant, Overlander. SNAP OUT OF YOUR TRANCE!" she barked at him.

Calvin felt his world shake, and there was a sharp pain at the back of his head. And then he refocused his eyes on Lapblood, who was holding him down tightly. "I'm fine now," he told her as he gave his head a little shake.

Lapblood continued to hold him down, as she eyed him warily. "I'm fine! I am!" Calvin snapped.

Lapblood slowly let go of him, her muscles still tense, and Calvin could tell she would pin him back down in a second if he demonstrated any symptoms of being enchanted by that plant. "Lapblood, I'm really fine!" he insisted strongly.

Lapblood finally relaxed, but never let her gaze drop. "The brightly-coloured plants here in the Underland can charm you into moving towards them. Some make you believe they contain food and fool you into moving near them. Don't go near them at all," she snarled. For some reason, Calvin could see sheer pain etched all over her face while she was talking to him. He would remember to find out what that was all about later.

She turned her attention back to Hero. "What's the problem?"

Hero shuddered. "I saw Arthur. In… in … in… in the plant. I… saw his face as the… flower… opened its… its… its… jaws." she stammered out.

Lapblood turned to look at the plant. By then, Murellus and the rest of the quest members had entered the clearing as well, carrying most of their belongings which they had left in the burrowing hole. Calvin observed that there was a slight grimace on Lapblood's face as she approached the plant. Then he saw an obvious wince on her face as she first brushed it with her paw.

She analysed it structure quickly, before, slicing its stem with her claw. Juices sprayed out of the plant, causing Lapblood to back-pedal instantaneously. She swiped the juice of her fur, growling angrily as she did so. She then looked up at the enormous flower at the plant, which lay at one side.

She began pulling at some time, and to Calvin's alarm, he realised she was trying to prise the _jaws _of the flower open. "The flower has jaws?" he asked incredulously.

"The jungle is full of surprises. And not all of them are pleasant," was Murellus' curt answer.

Lapblood finally tore its jaws open, revealing a mutilated corpse. Parts of it had been burned off by acid, and the body looked like it had been torn into shreds and then was thrown into a blender. The entire group all inhaled sharply. Hero covered her eyes. "What in Sandwich's name is that?" Donegan asked.

"Arthur's body," Lapblood replied gravely, as she backed away slowly from his body.

"I find it hard to believe that Arthur would get eaten by these plants. He has iron discipline I have witnessed very rarely in any soldier," Alfred commented, "I highly doubt he would fall prey to these plants."

"Maybe he didn't," Murellus murmured softly, but everybody had heard him. And everybody understood what Murellus was implying.

"Are you accusing one of us of being a traitor?" Nike questioned him coldly.

"That's ironic, coming from you," Hadrian added further to the hate against Murellus.

"He's right!" Calvin interrupted, leaping to Murellus' defence, "I believe someone drugged the food, whether it was back at Regalia or here."

"How do you know it's not him?" Icarus asked angrily.

"Because I could trust him with my life. And you all owe him for being here," Calvin retorted to them.

A large quarrel erupted, with people taking sides quickly. Many of the fliers were hurling abuse at Hecate, who had taken Calvin's side. Lapblood and her pups were getting into a heated exchange. Murellus and Nike were cross-examining each other, each accusing the other of being the traitor.

Meanwhile, the other rats were standing at one side, unsure of which position to take. Erik and Edward had taken Calvin's side, and they began butting heads with Alfred, Hadrian and Donegan.

Only Temp had kept his cool, standing at one side quietly. Suddenly, he shocked everyone by screeching out loud, "ENOUGH!"

Everyone stopped arguing and turned to look at Temp. From the stunned expression on everyone's face, it was evident nobody had heard him shout before. "Coming, enemy, coming," he argued, "we die, argue, we die," he concluded simply. Despite his broken english, everybody understood Temp perfectly.

"Thank you, Temp. You are absolutely right. We will die if we stay here and fight amongst ourselves. The schemers are closing in on us. Besides, the traitor is probably not within our ranks," Lapblood pointed out, although she didn't seem so convinced herself.

Temp retreated backwards shyly in light of Lapblood's praise, but he also appeared quite proud of himself. "Wait. If there was a traitor behind all this, then maybe the mice didn't commit suicide. Maybe they were murdered," Icarus realised.

"Agreed, Icarus. But we have no ability to verify this. All we have is speculation, and we need to stick to the facts. And the fact is that we need to come up with a plan," Lapblood replied swiftly.

"I have one," Murellus rasped out, "At any time, at least three of us shouldn't eat, in case the food is still drugged. That way, we can still have people standing guard."

"Good plan. But make that five of us. I prefer more people to be awake. We still need strength in numbers," Lapblood concluded that discussion swiftly.

Everybody seemed to agree with that decision. For a moment, there was a short period of awkward silence as nobody knew what to say. Then a gust of wind blew across the clearing. The rats' noses immediately started twitching. And the look that registered on their face was that of utter surprise and fear. "The schemers," Gnasher began, swallowing nervously, "they're less than half an hour away from us."

That sentence startled everybody in the group into action. Lapblood wasted no time with any complicated orders. "Everybody RUN!" she roared. They heard the same half bark, half howl coming from the back, just to confirm their greatest fears. It sounded even closer than Calvin imagined they were.

Everybody broke into a sprint, and it was chaotic and unorderly. Calvin found himself knocking and bumping into humans, gnawers, and even Temp. The bats had broken into a frenzy, attempting to fly before crash-landing and sending each other sprawling. The proximity of the foxes had driven everybody crazy.

Lapblood was trying to shout out something to the rest of group, which probably had to do with organizing themselves, but nobody paid any heed to her words. Not the bats, not the other rats, not her pups and certainly not Calvin. Even the usually cool and collected Murellus had broken into a chaotic and frantic sprint.

Amidst all the pandemonium, he heard Murellus cry out, "Follow me! We're heading towards the rapids! We need to cross it to get to the schemer tunnels!"

Amazingly, it appeared everybody had heard him. Murellus began peeling off in a separate direction, and so did everybody else.

It was the most intense sprint Calvin had ever done. Driven by fear of the schemers, he felt himself running so fast he almost felt as if he was flying. In the darkness and tightness of the jungle, Calvin felt the real feeling of fear. He felt its cold, icy hands, gripping his heart tightly, and for some reason Calvin had a gut feeling that his running wasn't the only factor behind his sweating.

They crashed through vines, bushes and the undergrowth, and within a few minutes, Calvin's arms and his face was covered with scratches. Although they were minor injuries, Calvin was feeling extremely bothered by them. He looked for Hecate, who had his packing stuff strapped to her back. He quickly caught up with her, and between heavy pants, requested, "He… Hecate… Can you stop… for a while… I need… my armour."

Hecate stopped selflessly, and Calvin scrambled on top of her. He quickly unpacked his armour, and began to fit it on. "You'll be left behind!" Hecate explained in alarm as the rest of the quest members continued to sprint away.

"Follow them, Hecate," he grunted, as he struggled to fit his armour on as fast as possible, "I'll catch up later." When Hecate refused to budge, he barked at her, "GO!"

Hecate reluctantly fluttered off, leaving him all alone. He soon began to regret asking her to leave. He was, for the first time on this quest, all alone in an unfamiliar territory. He urgently pulled on his remaining armour, and then returned to sprinting.

However, within minutes, he had slowed down back to a pathetic pace, and he was wheezing heavily. The armour had weighed him down, and he had to put double, maybe even triple the effort required for regular sprinting. Soon, he couldn't even jog. He slowed down to a walk, and struggled to keep himself upright.

Beneath all that armour, he could feel his clothes drenched with sweat. The jungle was extremely humid, and it was killing him to wear all that armour while running. He heard a crash in the undergrowth to his left, and once again, he saw the grey blur of Ripred moving past the plants. Great. He was hallucinating again.

Calvin shook his head multiple times as he fought against the hallucinations he was experiencing, but they just kept coming. On the right, he now saw Queen Luxa and King Conrad making their way swiftly through the undergrowth. He shook his head even harder.

Finally, the hallucinations stopped. Exhausted he trudged through the forest, too tired to care about the chasing pack of schemers. For all he knew, maybe they ran past him already in their bid to hunt down the rest of the quest members.

He soon found himself wandering aimlessly in the forest, trying to regain his bearings desperately. He felt himself slipping to a state of beyond caring. He really couldn't give a hoot about the quest anymore. He owed this place nothing. Absolutely nothing. He was just here because of his father…

His father.

He was here because of his father. He was here because of what he believed in. He was here to save friends, save innocent lives, honour his father's legacy, and most importantly, forge his own legacy. Step out of the gigantic footsteps of the Warrior. Overcome the overwhelming expectations that had fallen on him because of the Warrior's legacy.

He needed to make his father proud ultimately. Somehow, he just knew his father was looking down on him, expecting him to do what was right and what was necessary. And he was determined not to let his father down.

He was brought back to reality by some rustling on his right. He turned to see a fox emerging from the bushes, a broad grin on its face. So they had found him after all. He hadn;t been left alone at all. The fox advanced slowly, but almost arrogantly, as if he expected this to be an easy fight. "My master will be so pleased with me. He told all of us to bring you back to his den," the fox said, licking its lips, "and so I will have the honour of doing that."

The fox's smile grew even wider as he sniffed the air. "Oh yes, you're scared. I can smell it. Let me tell you something that will make you urinate in that ugly piece of armour. Our master never said whether we were to bring you back alive or dead. And if we were to bring you back alive, he never specified that you were supposed to return unharmed," he smirked.

For some reason, lapblood's words suddenly echoed in his head, "_When war comes, survival is necessary, and we must compromise on honour,_" she had said. That was probably meant to convince him that killing the foxes was fine.

Not that he was facing a moral dilemma in the present situation. The only dilemma he had was how many bullets he was going to put in the skull of this fox. without thinking twice, Calvin yanked out the pistols which he had fitted into the pocket of his armour, and he blasted two bullets between the eyes of the fox.

The gunshots rang out in the air loud and clear. The fox had been caught completely off-guard, and his body dropped down immediately. He was definitely dead. Calvin was incredibly tempted to riddle his body with bullets, but he had to save his bullets. He couldn't go around wasting his bullets. His lack of bullets may return to haunt him if he was this careless.

He heard movement coming from his right, and something told him that wasn't his fellow quest members. He quickly mustered any last ounce of strength he still had and he began to run. He ran and ran, and soon he began to hear the foxes right on his heels. They were bearing down on him quickly, and they knew it too. He could hear the increasing excitement in their breathing

He spun around quickly and fired off a couple of rounds, forcing the foxes to duck and avoid them. He fired another bullet, and that whizzed past one fox's ear but caused no real damage. There were about half a dozen of them chasing him, and he was running out of energy to run anymore.

And then to his complete horror, a whole horde of foxes exploded from a few yards behind these half dozen foxes. It wasn't just a small group of foxes chasing him. It was a whole pack of them hunting him viciously. There was no way he was going to get out of this situation alive. Contending with five or six foxes was bad enough, but fighting a whole pack? Realistically, he had no chance.

He refused to give up, though. If he was going down, he was going to bring at least some of them down along with him. He was going to go down fighting, just like his father. He continued to run, while occasionally turning to shoot at them in order to slow them down slightly. One fox leapt at him, its claws extended, his jaws wide open, ready to finish Calvin…

Calvin kept his cool and turned around, blowing the fox right through the head with a bullet after he fired three or four times at its mouth. He was beginning to feel grateful for all that training that Mr Carter had given him. It was coming in extremely handy now that his life was on the line.

But it was while turning to shoot at the schemers that Calvin hadn't watched where he was stepping. He tripped over some of that slippery moss, and he found himself sliding down a slope. He rolled over various objects, knocked against an upturned root, and fell into a sand pit.

He landed heavily on his back, knocking the breath out of him. Just as well he had worn his armour in the first place. If not, he would have broken most of his bones and might even be possibly dead, let alone in any physical condition to fight anymore. Not that he was in any condition to start fighting. He was absolutely winded, and he suspected he might have twisted his ankle.

He struggled to his feet, and found himself resting most of his weight on his left leg. His right ankle was in a lot of pain. He hobbled away from the entrance into the sand pit, constantly watching his back as he tried to place himself in a better position.

His only job was to kill as many of those bastards until he finally succumbed to their overwhelming numbers. He didn't even bother thinking of a solution to get out of the sand pit. It was about twelve feet deep, and with his ankle in pain, there was no way he was going to get out of there unassisted.

He waited. And waited. And waited. And yet the foxes still hadn't appeared. Surely they must have seen him fall into the sand pit. They couldn't have been that stupid not to be able to find him. They were supposed to be the most intellectual creatures in the Underland, and it honestly didn't take a genius to find Calvin.

He heard some scuffling outside the sand pit. _Great_, Calvin thought, _they're fighting to kill me first_. There was some growling, and Calvin found himself getting nervous. He readied his pistols in anticipation as time continued to tick. Finally he lost his patience. Waiting for the inevitable was killing him. "I'm here, you assholes! How long does it take to find me?"

A fox crashed into the sand pit, salivating and drooling all over the place. He looked up and stared deep into Calvin's eyes, and in that moment, Calvin could have sworn that the fox was mentally unhinged. His eyes spoke of madness that had overcome his senses, but most astonishing of all was the fear in his eyes. Calvin had never, ever seen fear in the eyes of a fox.

The fox suddenly lashed out at him, but Calvin's reactions was faster. He pulled his trigger tight and blasted three or four bullets into its face. The fox didn't even get close to him. Its lifeless body slumped down in front of him, its tongue rolling out.

Astounded by what he had saw, Calvin was not prepared for what was to happen next. One by one, fox body after fox body fell into the sand pit, all slaughtered brutally. Their throats and bellies had all been sliced open, making Calvin reminisce about the massacre of the nibblers.

At first, he was confused about what was going on. And then he realised what this was. The beast, the same beast that had killed a pack of foxes earlier, had just killed these foxes.

Now Calvin was feeling genuinely fearful. If an entire pack of schemers could be slaughtered so easily by a beast, then Calvin stood no chance at all. This was over for him. This was his end of the journey.

"Well, well, well," came a familiar voice from above, "Who do we have here?"

Calvin looked up, and a smile spread across his face.

**That's it for this chapter! Once again, I would like to express my infinite gratitude to IMightWriteAFanfic for giving me the inspiration to continue writing this story. I am truly amazed that you took the time and effort to write one review for every chapter. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**As for your review on how Calvin shouldn't best Gregor yet, I totally agree with you! I don't plan to do that just yet, and it will make for an interesting plot line for the trilogy(if I continue to write these stories).**

**You've told me not to stop writing, and I won't. Please, to all other readers, I really want YOUR support when I'm writing my story. I'm genuinely touched by the support from IMightWriteAFanfic, but I want it to come from everybody else as well!**

**Anyway, I'm ⅔ my way through this story, so the action level only gets higher from here. Have a nice day, ladies and gentleman!**

**Question: Who was talking to Calvin? It shouldn't be too difficult to guess this, but I'm interested to see who can!**


	21. Chapter 21: Into Battle

**Hi Guys! Once again, thank you for the review and support by IMightWriteAFanfic, but I really want more people to review my work. I'm talking about people who have reviewed my story before. The Primordials' Champion, Nykolas Rubidoux-Son of Hades, Witwickety, 4sdvzrh, haha77, XxxNennaxXRocks, Alpha Death and other guests, it really means a lot to me if you could review my story. Same for people who follow my story- DrGamepixel, BlackWolfUnder, MythologyBookworm and randomguy3467. It means the world to me if you could review my story.**

**The onus isn't just on these people though. All those viewing my story, I implore you to review it. It honestly, honestly means a lot to me.**

**One of my guest readers who reviewed thought that the person talking to Calvin was Gregor. An interesting guess, but I'm sticking to my guns(small and weak pun there) when I say that Gregor will not feature in this story. I have been tempted to throw him into the mix, but I'll save him for another time. Anyway, you'll find out the answer to my question in this chapter. Hope it's a pleasant surprise!**

**Here is Chapter 21. As I mentioned, we are starting to increase the intensity and action even more, and hopefully it appeals to you. Enjoy Chapter 21!**

**Chapter 21: Into Battle**

Calvin didn't know whether to laugh or… well there was really nothing else to do. Here he was, with a twisted ankle, standing awkward and helpless in a sand pit and looking dishevelled with his damaged armour and grime all over him. Oh, and he forgot to mention that he was staring at Ripred's toothy grin.

"About time," Calvin said, the stupid grin remaining on his face. There was a wave of emotions surging through him. Relief, joy, excitement, surprise, curiosity… add that to the surge of adrenaline he had earlier while running away from the foxes and he really felt a little deranged. But he was still amazed by the situation he was in nevertheless. There was almost no other way to aptly describe his feelings.

Ripred stretched and yawned slightly before dropping into the sand pit as well, landing comfortably on his two feet. He stretched again, appearing to show off his muscles, before he finally spoke to Calvin. "You looked like you were holding out fine down here," he said sarcastically.

Calvin ignored Ripred's snarky comment. "I thought you got into an argument with Queen Luxa. You were taken off this quest. How… why… are you here?" Calvin asked, clearly baffled by the whole situation.

Ripred shrugged indifferently. "If you stop gazing at my handsome face, Overlander, you might be able to see the reason," he slurred lazily, pointing up with his tail. Calvin looked up to find Luxa and Conrad standing at the edge of the sand pit, with Aurora and Dionysus perched on the tree tops above them.

This was just one too many surprises in a day full of pleasant and unpleasant surprises. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked Conrad and Luxa.

Luxa had a cocky grin plastered over her face. "We are the king and queen of Regalia. Don't you think we have the power to go where we want to when we want to?" she replied smugly.

Ripred chuckled."She couldn't resist coming on this quest. She never can resist. She just needs to be in the thick of battle or on an exciting adventure. If I had the same position as her, I would be lounging on my throne all day, eating shrimp in-"

"Ripred," Conrad said sharply, "please stop putting stories in everyone's mouth. You very well know that that is not the reason-"

"I was jesting, Conrad," Ripred interrupted, "But I suppose my humour is not good enough for you. Maybe, instead of being a king, you could become a court jester. I'm sure everybody would love your sense of humour. But of course, you're already a clown as king of Regalia, so I'm sure you're not new to joking."

"Please, Ripred, shut up. You haven't been able to keep that busy mouth of your shut since we began our journey," Conrad snapped.

"Only my bond gets to tell me to shut up. And I'm quite sure you're not my bond, Conrad. But if you are, here's your opportunity to let me know," Ripred retorted.

"Stop bickering, you two," Luxa grumbled, clearly irked, "and Ripred, please shut up. We're talking to the Overlander, in case you haven't noticed."

"But if I shut up, then I can't talk to the Overlander," Ripred pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Stop being petulant," Luxa rebuked him, "you can talk to him, as long as it is relevant to the situation at hand."

Ripred muttered under his breath, but duly kept quiet. Luxa then turned her attention back to Calvin. "Overlander, I'm sure you're wondering why and how we are here. The answer is simple. My dismissal of Ripred back in the council was a ruse, meant to make people believe that I was really infuriated with Ripred. The truth is, we had planned this for a while," she told him.

Ripred cleared his throat and began to speak. "We knew of the presence of a traitor in our ranks. That is why we deliberately decided to manipulate the situation that we had in order to make me look pissed off with Murellus, which led to Luxa being pissed off with me. That way, the traitor would be delighted that I would be off the quest, and would probably let his guard down," Ripred explained.

"Not that it was difficult for Ripred to act angry. According to the discussions we had later, he was actually furious," Luxa mentioned.

"Oh yes, because one does not get pissed off when he sees his brothers and sisters slaughtered before my very eyes. I don't believe that any humans were out there being executed," Ripred snapped in reply. "Don't get me wrong. I'm figuratively speaking. They're not my biological brothers and sisters. That would be really wrong, considering how active and productive our gnawer parents must have been for that to happen," Ripred remarked to Calvin.

Luxa rolled her eyes. "Can you refrain from diverging off topic Ripred?" she sighed. She then continued, "We were hoping to find the traitor in Regalia. We narrowed everybody down to a list of suspects but all we met were dead ends. We then suspected that the traitor was on the quest with you."

"However, after analysing all the details we knew of each and every quest member, we couldn't even settle on one suspect. We needed to follow you all, something which Ripred predicted a while back, which is why we set up this plan in the first place," Conrad chipped in.

"We decided to follow you on this quest, albeit we kept a significant distance from you all," Luxa carried on, "but when you needed help, we stepped in."

"You were the ones who killed the whole pack of schemers," Calvin realised, remembering what the two foxes had said the day before, "That's why a couple of schemers had said that there were slash wounds that came from swords. It was you and Conrad."

Luxa smiled. "Indeed it was us. We killed them before they could close in on you. They were gaining on you all. We didn't expect that it would trigger Flavius to unleash more schemer packs on this hunt, though," Luxa stated.

"May I just point out that our dear king and queen here had hardly any involvement in the fighting of the schemers. I did most of the dirty work as usual, although I quite enjoy doing this kind of dirty work," Ripred informed Calvin.

"What a ridiculous assertion!" Luxa exclaimed, "We were just as involved in the fighting as you were."

"Oh really?" Ripred asked in mock surprise, "Let's be truthful here. Luxa, how many schemers did you kill?"

"Five," Luxa admitted reluctantly.

"And you, Conrad?" he asked Conrad innocently.

"Five," Conrad confessed, looking slightly ashamed by the numbers.

To add insult to injury, Ripred added, "Five, of which you killed three with MY assistance." He turned to Calvin and shook his head. "These pampered brats left me to fight the schemers all on my own," Ripred said, faking a groan.

"Please stop making a complete fool of yourself, Ripred," Luxa snapped irritatedly. She got back on topic, "Last night, when the nibblers supposedly committed suicide and Arthur passed away, we were camped quite far away. We were unable to catch the traitor, unfortunately, which leaves us still in the dark as to who the traitor is."

Calvin thought about the whole trip he had so far. Then he realised something. "So I wasn't hallucinating when I saw you guys running through the forest?" he asked in sheer amazement.

Ripred burst into peals of laughter, and even Aurora and Dionysus broke out into a low-pitched laugh, while Luxa and Conrad chuckled. "You thought you were hallucinating? That's so hilarious!" Ripred guffawed, with tears streaming down his face.

Luxa, with amusement written all over her face, said, "Yes, it was us all along. We have been following you since you reached the jungle. We even fought a number of injured squids on our way down the river to keep up with you. Evidently both sides had a nasty encounter with each other."

"Back to our recount of the past few hours," Conrad went on, "We found two or three, maybe even four packs of schemers hunting you this morning. You all honestly had a very miniscule chance of surviving against these schemers. So we lured one pack off your trail and got into a quick battle with them, a battle which we won, although we couldn't kill all of them."

"And that's when we found a separate pack peeling off from the rest. We were highly suspicious of them so we forsook our following of the main chase and followed this pack. Just as well we did, if not you would be schemer breakfast," Luxa finished.

"Yes, boy, we saved your life," Ripred said triumphantly, "and in return for that, you will help the cooks to prepare my shrimp in cream sauce when we make out victorious return to Regalia. Assuming you come back alive as well."

"Shut up, Ripred," Luxa barked at him, and Ripred raised his arms in mock surrender. She turned her attention back to Calvin. "If there is anything you know that we don't know, now is the time to tell us," Luxa told Calvin.

Calvin racked his brain to think of something to report, but he couldn't think of anything at that moment. "Nothing jumps to mind at all," he told Luxa truthfully.

Luxa nodded in relief. "It means we've done quite a good job of following all of you," she said with a smile.

Ripred sniffed the air. "Lapblood and the other quest members have engaged in battle with the schemers on the bank next to the rapids. I can smell blood in the air," he reported. Despite sounding rather apathetic to that piece of news, Calvin could hear Ripred's noticeable attempt to keep the concern out of his voice.

Luxa and Conrad didn't bother to conceal their worry. "That doesn't spell anything good at all," Conrad remarked worriedly.

"The rapids is a river with rushing water that separates part of this jungle from the other part of it. By crossing the rapids, you enter the Uncharted Lands, signifying your proximity to the schemer tunnels, which is near the boundary of the Uncharted Lands," Luxa informed Calvin, "That's where you will be going. But it appears that the schemers seem to have gotten to your quest members first before they could cross it."

Conrad whistled. In the blink of an eye, Aurora and Dionysus had flown down from their perch, and waited for Conrad's command. Conrad turned to Calvin. "We'll fly you out of the sand pit, but we won't follow you after this. We still need to keep our distance in case the traitor is in your midst. But trust us when we say that we will enter the fray when the time is right."

"Go and help your fellow quest members. Your guns are of the utmost importance to them in this battle. When you get out of the sand pit, follow the schemer trail. It's quite obvious. They have left their footprints and tracks on the ground, and even a fool would be able to follow it. Don't tell anyone about our meeting here. As Conrad said, we will appear when the time is right," Luxa concluded.

Aurora picked Calvin up with her claws and flew him out of the sand pit. Dionysus carried Ripred, Conrad and Luxa before surging out of the sand pit as well. Ripred clambered off Dionysus and mumbled a quick goodbye to Calvin, warning him, "Don't fool around recklessly. This is battle."

Conrad and Luxa also bade him farewell, before taking off on Aurora's and Dionysus' backs. Calvin then turned and began his lonely journey towards the bank. But before he could even find the first footprint, a paw rested on his shoulder. Calvin turned around to find Ripred still hanging around.

"Just one more question, boy," Ripred whispered, "Have you revealed all your guns to the rest of the clowns yet?"

Calvin shook his head firmly. "Good thing you listened to my advice, boy," Ripred said, looking pleased with himself, "but you are nearing schemer territory. You must be ready to use it."

"Why are you still here?" he asked Ripred, temporarily ignoring Ripred's piece of advice.

"Because I know that they'll be back to drag my sorry hide with them once they notice I'm missing. I'm quite important, you know," Ripred smirked.

For the first time, Calvin found himself grinning along with Ripred. The old rat was very amusing despite his occasionally bitter personality. "See you soon, hopefully," Calvin said to him.

Ripred wined at him. "I'll see you around soon. And remember boy, if I can't tear Flavius' body to shreds, you better blow his face off with your guns." With that, he yawned and trotted off to lie against a tree and sleep.

Calvin then returned to following the schemer's tracks. They led deeper into the forest, but they were quite clear even for the naked eye, so he followed them at a reasonable pace without feeling a sense of urgency. He was feeling very glad, knowing that his back was being covered by Ripred, Luxa and Conrad.

They were right. Within ten minutes, he could hear the rushing water of the rapids, Lapblood's shouting and the half bark, half howl of the schemers. He quickly rushed out from behind the trees to find a greatly illuminated bank, with water churning all over the place.

But that wasn't a detail that struck him. Happening in front of him was the most violent, full-scale battle he had ever witnessed with his own eyes. Blood had turned the colour of the bank red, and dead bodies lay everywhere. He could even see the occasional body float to the surface of the water before disappearing down the rapids. It was chaos at its worst.

Calvin saw Erik charge headlong at a fox. At the last moment, he slid between the fox's legs, slicing its underbelly clean open as he slid under its body. Lapblood was somehow fending off three foxes all on her own, while Calvin even spotted Sixclaw riding a fox, tearing into its ear at the same time.

However well the quest members were fighting, there were just too many foxes for them to handle. There must have been at least a hundred foxes, maybe even more, attacking them. He heard Lapblood telling some of the bats to fly the quest members across the rapids, but admirably, everyone had chosen to stay and fight alongside Lapblood.

Calvin realised he had been staring into the battle without any offering any help whatsoever. He pulled out his pistols and began to shoot at the foxes. Any fox that came within range was fired at, and Calvin quickly noticed he had already killed half a dozen foxes at least within the first five minutes. No fox could break within a ten yard radius of him.

The mere sound of his gunfire seemed to spur the quest members to fight on even harder. With a bone-chilling battle cry, Lapblood hurled herself into a group of foxes, clattering into them and slicing wildly. Erik and Edward roared as they worked together to hack down a fox, while Icarus bravely flew down and grabbed a massive eight-foot fox despite having a tear in his wing, dumping it into the river with a roar of anger.

Calvin could feel his blood being pumped around his body faster than he had had ever felt before. there was something so appealing about being in battle. It seemed to address his base instincts, and the amount of adrenaline that was running through his body was absolutely unparalleled to anything he had felt before.

He was feeling so ecstatic, and he felt almost... proud. The amount of dopamine in his body was at an all-time high. He heard Hecate calling out his name, and he leapt in the air, spreading his legs. He landed on Hecate's back and wrapped his legs around her. She soared over the battlefield, and Calvin felt a surge of excitement. He felt the need to fire his gun.

"It's a relief to see you, Overlander," hecate called out to Calvin, "we thought you had been slaughtered by schemers."

When Calvin replied, his voice sounded surprisingly low and hoarse. Once again, he had no clue why that was the case, but he definitely could feel a great sensation rumbling through his body. "Only I'm doing the slaughtering today," he told her, "Get me within firing range of those bastards. I'm going to give them hell."

Hecate dived towards a gathering group of foxes, who were looking up at Calvin angrily. Calvin didn't give them a chance to jump up and attack them. He began firing at them, hitting at least half of them and killing one. The group immediately dispersed as Hecate flew after individuals, allowing Calvin to aim and shoot at them.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted them as Hecate rocketed through the air. Out of the blue, another enormous eight-foot fox made a titanic leap at Calvin his jaws bared in a snarl. Calvin's reactions were lightning-quick though. He twisted his body to shoot at the fox, and he hit it square in the chest with four bullets. The fox landed on one of its comrades, pinning it down.

"Let's try and help the rest," he told Hecate. Hecate nodded in agreement, and she swooped down towards Flyfur, Sixclaw, Gnasher and Flickmeat, who were surrounding schemers. "Hey, shitfaces!" he yelled at the foxes, "Heads up!"

The foxes looked up and as Hecate did one loop, he fired at least one bullet into the back of the head of three of them, before aiming at the rest and opening fire at will. The rats took advantage of the distraction and space Calvin had created for them to attack the foxes. Afraid of hitting one of the rats, Calvin signalled to Hecate to pull out, and she did.

Calvin then was then flown in behind a fox attacking Hadrian, and he blasted a bullet into the back of its head. He noticed another fox rushing in behind Hadrian, and with what must have been his sharpest shot to date, fired a perfect bullet right between the eyes. Hadrian nodded in gratitude to them, before heading off to continue fighting.

Murellus was in the thick of battle himself, fighting a whopping FIVE foxes all at once. He was almost toying with them, dancing out of the way with lightning-fast reactions, and killing them with a lethal bite or slash to the throat.

Calvin noticed Lapblood at one side, fighting against two foxes, but she had a slight limp and it was clearly bothering her. "Drop me off near Lapblood. I can handle myself on the ground. You need not worry," he told Hecate. Hecate obeyed, dropping him off behind the foxes fighting Lapblood, before flying off to engage a fox. Calvin stealthily moved behind the foxes, who were taunting Lapblood now.

He quietly aimed at the fox on the left and fired. He was aiming for the head, but his shooting was slightly off, and he saw his bullet hit the fox in the groin with an unsavoury thud. For a moment, it was very quiet. And then it let out an ear-piercing howl that signified its pain. Almost everyone in combat stopped fighting to see what was going on. The howl was very, very loud.

"My balls!" it screamed hysterically. Lapblood capitalised on the distraction to tear out its throat, while she bit into the snout of the other fox, before ramming it into the rapids. Without even a scream, the fox was swept away by the raging waters. Calvin quickly reloaded his gun, only to find a fox springing towards him. There was no time to shoot. It was closing in…

… Until Lapblood hurled herself against it knocking it off-course. She was then locked in a deadly wrestle with it, until she finally found the space to clamp down on its throat, killing it. She rolled out of its embrace and got up next to Calvin. "Thank you back there," she thanked him.

"Thank you too," he replied. He looked at the overwhelming number of schemers. And then he was struck by a plan. "You run, I shoot," he told her bluntly and quickly. She nodded and lowered herself so that Calvin could climb on top of her. He quickly did so, and without warning she dashed forward.

Calvin raised both arms and began to fire on both his left and right hand side at the foxes. No fox could get close to either of them. Lapblood was too elusive and quick, while Calvin's shooting had become dead accurate. It was a formidable combination, and one that was hurting the foxes too.

Most of them had begun to hold back, allowing the quest members to mount a counter-attack. Erik led a charge against their right side, crashing into their formation with a great impact. The foxes tried to retaliate, but with Lapblood and Calvin assaulting their left side and Murellus attacking the centre, they were pushed back and outwitted for once.

Just as it looked like the foxes had been beaten thoroughly and were about to scramble in retreat, yet another massive fox leapt at Lapblood and Calvin. Calvin fired at him, but somehow missed from point blank range. He was knocked off Lapblood and sent sprawling across the sand.

"Calvin! That's general Aelius! Do not engage him! He's one of our most lethal fighters!" Murellus called out in desperation to Calvin.

Aelius got up and smiled. "Know the name Aelius well, Overlander," he said with a menacing smile, "for it will be the last name you hear."

Calvin decided to ignore Murellus' advice. After all, he had a gun in his hands which had proven to be the bane of the foxes. He trained it on Aelius. Aelius laughed and charged at Calvin. Calvin's finger tightened around the trigger.

This time, however, no bullet came out. All he heard was an empty click. He had run out of ammunition. All he could do was watch on helplessly as Aelius charged towards him to seal Calvin's fate…

But the killing bite never came. Just as Aelius was about to sink his jaws into Calvin's throat, Murellus rammed into him, sending both of them into the rapids. "NO!" Calvin screamed, desperately reaching out for Murellus. But it was too late.

Murellus and Aelius disappeared under the white, foamy rapids.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As promised, there was much more action and intensity in this chapter. Please remember to review my work as you should know by now how much I treasure reviews. Hope you have a great day ahead! That's it from me.**

**Remember to answer the question below. It's probably the biggest one and most relevant one to the plot out of all the questions I've asked so far.**

**Question: Who is the traitor in the quest?**


	22. Chapter 22: Burial

**Hi Guys! Thank you for the number of reviews that have come in. Special thanks to bj10082074 for reviewing my work and "favoriting" my story. It is very, very encouraging. Thank you for noticing my attention to detail. I'm not perfect at it, but I hope to become better. And it's great to see haha77 again! Thank you for reviewing my work. I appreciate it a lot. **

**As usual, I am extremely grateful to IMightWriteAFanfic for your faithful reviewing of my chapters. I am so, so pleased and happy that you are willing to take some time and effort to write a nice and constructive review. And yes, I'm updating this story at an alarming rate again! **

**Thank you to a guest viewer who also reviewed my work by answering the question. I believe the question in my previous chapter is a fascinating one that you all would like to solve, and I would be absolutely amazed if anyone got it right. We already have one excellent guess that it could be Sixclaw, but I'm not revealing anything. Happy guessing, everyone!**

**Anyway, I had to drop the pace in this chapter. Murellus wasn't the only casualty amongst the quest members, so I had to write an entire chapter about the tragedies within the questers(as Gregor called them) and the reactions of those still alive. Hope you enjoy Chapter 22!**

**Chapter 22: Burial**

The bats flew them across the rapids, and brought the bodies of the dead along with them. The foxes had retreated quickly after Aelius' death, allowing the quest members to slowly recover from the ordeal. True, they had won the battle, but it had come at a cost. And that cost was in lives lost. Calvin had seen many creatures die here in the Underland, but had never felt such a great feeling of loss in the Underland yet.

The pain of losing fellow quest members and friends had been eased by the fact that he had already lost his parents, but it was still extremely difficult to stomach and swallow. Although he hadn't become close friends with some of them, they had gone through pain and suffering together. They had fought for each other and stood together as a team throughout the toughest moments on this quest.

Amongst the casualties was Alfred and Donegan. Calvin regretted not spending more time getting to know them. They had been honourable men, and he had seen them demonstrate their valour over the duration of the quest. He had a feeling he would have become good friends with them had he been given the opportunity to interact with them more. Without a doubt, they were good men, and could have taught Calvin a thing or two.

Flickmeat was the only rat casualty, which was made all the more bitter for Calvin considering he had tried to save her earlier in the battle. Saving her ultimately proved to be useless. She had died anyway, which made Calvin angry. She had seemed really friendly and quite innocent, except when she was fighting, of course. It was difficult for him to accept that he had gone through so much to save her life only for it to be taken later.

The other casualties included the tragic passing of Oedipus and Demeter. Oedipus had been very depressed ever since he discovered the death of his bond, Arthur. he had been quiet for a long time and apparently he had refused to speak to anyone. It was a good thing that now he might be reunited with Arthur again.

Demeter was even more quiet. She was a young and brilliant flier, and she had shown not just glimpses, but clear sights of her potential as a warrior flier. She hadn't gotten a bond yet, but had shown that there was much promise in her development as a soldier. Calvin hadn't even spoken to her at all throughout the quest, which made him feel slightly guilty. He should have tried to make as many friends as possible. Then again, it would have been an even more trying time for him to see so many good friends pass away.

Erik's bond, Ariadne, was amongst the dead as well. He had collapsed to his knees next to her body, his face wet with tears, but no sound escaped his lips. He just mourned her passing quietly, looking completely distraught but never drawing any attention to himself. Calvin figured he wanted his final moments with his bond to be a personal one.

Agamemnon, on the other hand, was a flier without a bond. He crouched over Donegan's body, appearing to be absolutely devastated. He was making a low purring-like noise, and it took a while for Calvin to realise he was sobbing. Calvin felt totally awful. He didn't have a bond, but he somehow felt that he would have been in the same position if Lapblood or Hecate had died.

He then turned to find Hadrian speaking to Icarus. The lively bat hadn't passed away, but was about to. Calvin only had to take one look at Icarus' chest injury to know he had no chance of making it back alive. He decided not to intrude in their personal space and watched at one side. Icarus, gasping for breath, was trying to whisper something to Hadrian, who was sobbing away uncontrollably.

Eventually, Icarus stopped speaking and began to splutter. Hadrian's body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Finally, Icarus' suffering was over, and he closed his eyes for the last time. Hadrian let out a cry of anguish at the end of it, and he buried his face in Icarus' neck, crying away. It sounded so pained that even Calvin's heart twisted in knots when he saw Hadrian's reaction.

Icarus, apart from Hecate, had been his favourite bat. Like Hadrian, he wasn't afraid of cracking a joke, even in a tense situation. And his light-heartedness and cheerfulness had really livened the quest members up when they needed it. He was truly a great teammate, and an even better friend who wasn't afraid to risk his own life to help others. No wonder Hadrian had been so shattered by his death.

But Calvin's heart truly ached when he thought about the passing of Murellus. Nobody amongst his fellow quest members had stopped to talk about to him Admittedly, they were probably more upset over the passing of their own friends, but Calvin couldn't understand why they would just deliberately ignore Murellus' death.

Murellus, the fox who had decided to risk his life by assisting his sworn enemies. Murellus, the fox who had given up a life of glory for a life of discrimination by assisting his sworn enemies. Murellus, the fox who had saved his sworn enemies, as well as Calvin, on numerous occasions but never stopped to ask for a moment of thanks. Murellus, the fox who had been rejected by the brethren he had served with, and rejected by the very people he was trying to help.

He refused to complain about his plight, though. He always stayed task-oriented, but in some moments, he had demonstrated the same passion humans had. He may have refused to admit it, but in those moments he stopped being the cold, rational fox he was and showed the warmth of heart he could actually possess.

Everybody refused to admit the truth that they had treated Murellus worse than an enemy. They had treated him like a prisoner, like a slave, despite his efforts to help the team. And yet he never showed any bitterness. He continued to do what he needed to do without any prejudice, and often stopped to give Calvin moral encouragement or just to give him a word of advice. It just felt so painful for Calvin to realise and comprehend the emotional struggle that Murellus must have gone through.

But worst of all, he had died because of Calvin's mistake. Calvin had refused to listen to his advice on not engaging Aelius. If he had chosen to evade Aelius rather than try to shoot him, then Murellus need not have sacrificed his life for Calvin. Calvin should have been the one who died, not Murellus. That last act by Murellus, that act of sacrifice, was the ultimate proof of his loyalty to their cause. And unfortunately it cost him his life.

Calvin stifled a sob, but couldn't prevent the hot tears rolling down his cheeks. So this was what war had come down to. Death, pain, misery, suffering, tragedy… Eventually, every war would inevitably lead up to such moments. This was the legacy of war- death and destruction.

Calvin surveyed the battlefield. Now, the sands were littered with only the corpses of the foxes. They numbered into the dozens, and there may have even been a hundred dead, such was the number of casualties they had suffered. At least a quarter, maybe a third of them had perished because of Calvin's gun, whether his shooting directly or indirectly led to their death.

But Calvin no longer felt guilty for killing them, nor did he bother to feel any sympathy for those who had been killed. The void that had been left by his father's and Murellus' deaths had turned him into someone hateful. He despised the foxes for their war on Regalia. It was because of THEM that he was in the current situation he was in.

No, there was no more sympathy for them. Those sick, twisted creatures had to pay for their sins. There was no other way out for them. If they were going to raze the Underland to the ground, then Calvin swore he would bring them down along with him.

He looked around to see everybody slumped against trees or lying on the floor, too stunned by the number of tragedies to move. It was a long moment of silence for all the quest members, as they shared the bitter experience of seeing the bodies of their fallen comrades. They were all grieving, and were in no mood left to do anything. Even the normally stoic Lapblood stared cluelessly into the distant rapids, unsure of what to do next.

Amazingly, they remained in the same position, motionless like their dead friends, for the next half an hour, maybe even an hour. Finally, Lapblood acted like the true leader she was. She got to her feet unsteadily, and spoke up in a voice hoarse from crying, "We must move soon. Let us dig quickly. We will bury them here by the lake side. This will be their legacy. The fallen heroes at the rapids."

"No. Icarus told me that if he died at the end of the quest, he wanted to be placed in a boat and left to sail the great wonders of the Underland. Perhaps it is apt that he died near the rapids, where his wishes could be fulfilled. I ask for pardon on Icarus' part to let him have one last adventure. We can still erect a memorial for him," Hadrian told Lapblood.

"Yes," Erik agreed, "in fact, do likewise for all our fallen brothers and sisters. They will all sail on one last adventure together. Please, Lapblood, can you honour this request."

Lapblood nodded sombrely. "It shall be as you say. Build a raft, or two rafts for them. And Calvin, search for a flower. That will be placed on the boat to honour Murellus' death."

Calvin nodded obediently, grateful that at least Lapblood was acknowledging Murellus' sacrifice. He quickly made his way down the bank, before entering the forest. He found whole stalks of flowers in one clearing, and under the flickering light in the Underland, they actually looked beautiful. As the flowers had been white during his father's funeral, he chose to pick a single, sad white flower, which he decided to bring back.

For some reason, he could feel his father standing behind him, nodding in approval. Calvin hoped that Murellus would be satisfied with the white flower which would be used to honour him at the end. Calvin had a feeling Murellus would be satisfied. He was a battle-hardened fox who had gone through so much suffering it probably didn't matter to him how he was remembered.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted what looked like the grey outline of a figure standing hunched on the other side of the bank. Ripred was still following them, but obviously decided the time wasn't right to reveal himself, Luxa and Conrad. He nodded at the grey figure, and the grey figure then disappeared.

Calvin returned to the camp, and to his surprise, found that the raft was already half done. With efficiency unlike anything he had seen from the quest members so far, they had found some pieces of wood and were strapping the pieces of wood together through a set of vines they had found. They seemed really determined to make their comrades' and friends' final journeys a memorable one.

Finally they crafted two medium-sized boats, and placed the bodies inside them. Calvin gently placed a flower in one of the boats. _Thank you for everything Murellus. I hope you go to a better place. I will never forget your sacrifice_, Calvin thought quietly to himself. He then let go of the flower and stood back as the boats were left to float down the raging rapids. Amazingly, they weren't overturned as they sailed down the rough and unforgiving waters.

They somehow maintained their balance with sheer determination, almost with the same resolve that the quest members in them had. Finally, the boats sailed beyond their view and into oblivion, at least for their comrades. Everybody had already shed more than just a few tears as it disappeared into the distance.

Eventually, Lapblood croaked out, "We have to move now. The schemers will recover quickly and be on our trail." With that she trotted off into the forest.

The rest of the quest members wasted no time crying anymore. The deaths of their friends would not be in vain. The quickly hoisted up their belongings and followed Lapblood. Calvin was reluctant to continue. His emotional state was in a total mess and he looked a wreck. Nevertheless, he drew inspiration from the same fortitude that Murellus had, and followed Lapblood into the forest.

As they made their way silently through the forest, Calvin once again found himself walking next to Hecate. He noticed her tears and decided to start a new topic to make her feel better. However, his curiosity got the better of his rationale and he asked her, "Why was Lapblood so scared and so terrified by that carnivorous plant earlier today?"

That made Hecate tear even more. Calvin immediately apologised, but Hecate shook her head. "I think you should know, anyway," she told him, "The reason she acts in such a way is because her mate passed away at the clutches of these carnivorous plants. She also nearly lost her life to them, and interestingly, the Warrior almost perished similarly."

Calvin nodded in understanding. Although he was intrigued by this piece of information, he decided to change the topic, lest Hecate continued to cry. It was better not to dwell on depressing discussions after all.

"Was I the only Overlander to come down here since you guys last saw the Warrior?" he asked Hecate.

"Oh no, there was your father, of course," Hecate reminded him.

Oh yea, his father. "Did you get the chance to meet my father? What was he like?" he queried Hecate.

Hecate chuckled slightly. That was a good sign. At least she was loosening up. "Your eagerness to learn of the impression your father left here amuses me," she laughed.

She then continued, "I did meet your father once on his stay here. He was very, very polite. Quite classy, if not the complete gentleman. He speaks much better than the Warrior's family. Perhaps he was brought up in a better environment."

"He probably was," Calvin agreed. The Warrior sounded like someone who wasn't very well-off. But then again, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was probably his exposure to a hard life that made the Warrior who he was. Tough, determined, strong-willed, and probably stubborn. But Calvin was just generalising here. Perhaps the Warrior had some traits that were not orthodox.

hecate then went on with her description of Calvin's father. "He was having a conversation with Vikus, on the means of preparing for war against some… Operation Claw, was it?... I can't really remember, but it was a very intense discussion that I had just chanced upon. Apparently Regalia was under some form of threat that we would not be able to handle, and it was troubling them greatly."

There it was again. Operation Claw. The organisation that had been ultimately responsible for the death of his father. They still hadn't made an appearance in the Underland, and Calvin was highly doubtful they could carry out this operation, especially without the funding his father eventually did not provide them with. Nevertheless, when he succeeded in this quest and everything was over, he would return to the Overland to research on them and find out what he could. Perhaps he could even get the authorities to shut them down once and for all.

_IF I succeed in this quest,_he corrected himself. He wasn't even sure if he was going to make it back home alive. He had just seen half of his fellow quest members die while fighting the foxes. There was no telling if he would return from this quest alive. And he knew that if he did return, he would be an almost entirely different person.

He returned his attention to Hecate, who concluded her recount of his father by saying, "That was my only meeting with him. But I heard much more about him. I heard he was an honourable, selfless man who sacrificed himself for our city. We owe him a lot. You should be proud you had such a great father. I can see the resemblance of character between you two. You would have made your father very proud of you as well."

Those words brought a slight smile to Calvin's face. "Thank you, Hecate. And yes, I'm really proud of my father," he said. Hecate smiled as well. It was really moving to see her smile after a period of such great depression. He noticed Hecate wobbling slightly as she walked along. "You're injured," he murmured out loud.

Hecate nodded grimly. "One of the schemers bit into my leg, while I was flying. He nearly ripped it off, but thankfully he didn't."

"We need to inform Lapblood," Calvin said, quickly moving forward, "we need to stop because of your injury."

"Stop, Calvin!" she called out. He turned around to face her. "My injury is a minor one. Have you observed the other injuries the rest have? They're still walking on. I'll be fine."

Calvin looked around and found that Hecate was right. Everybody had one injury or another, whether it was serious or not. Nike was amongst those with serious injuries, and Calvin's stomach did a short somersault. She had a major tear in her wing, and there was blood dripping off it as she walked along. Calvin knew that there was no way she was going to fly again on this quest.

Meanwhile, Edward and Hadrian had both bandaged their arms with vines, and they were visibly in pain as they moved it. Lapblood, Sixclaw and Flyfur were all limping, while Erik, as usual, looked like he had just walked out of his grave.

As Calvin continued to look in horror at the injuries everybody had suffered, he noticed two quest members who looked shaken but were relatively untouched. He made his way over to Hero and Temp, who were quietly strolling at the back. "Are you guys alright? I didn't see you at the battle," he spoke to them.

Hero looked down in shame, while Temp's antennae drooped slightly. Temp struggled to speak, and when he did, he sounded utterly embarrassed. "We hide, during battle, we hide," he informed Calvin.

So that was why he hadn't seen them. They had been hiding all along. "Told us so, Lapblood, told us so," Temp tried to justify his actions.

Calvin nodded firmly. "You did the right thing, Temp. Same for you Hero. You followed Lapblood's orders. You're not on this quest to fight, remember? Nerissa wants you here for other reasons, remember? Your importance on this quest is not through fighting. We can't have you wasting your life in a fight."

"That's precisely the problem!" Hero exclaimed frustratedly, "I don't know what I'm doing on this quest. I haven't been given the opportunity to do anything. I'm useless in combat. No matter how often I trained in the arena, I've always been useless at fighting. And it seems like the only thing needed for success on this quest is good fighting skills. Hell, maybe Nerissa has really gone crazy! I wasn't even chosen in the first place."

When Calvin didn't respond, she rattled on like a steaming train. "I feel horrible! I feel as if I'm a burden on this quest. All I do is eat up the food you prepare for me, take up space on the ground, take up space on the bats when we are being flown… I feel like a waste of your time and effort. At least you have your unique gun-fighting skills to prove your worth on this quest. I have nothing," she ended miserably.

Temp's antennae were shaking with distress as well. "Useless, I am, useless," he said sadly.

"None of you are useless!" Calvin insisted strongly, "Temp, you're one of the wisest creatures on this quest. We would be in a much more terrible situation without you. And Hero…"

She looked at him intently, which wa giving him problems. He honestly didn't know what to say. But thankfully, Lapblood saved him the trouble. "We're staying here for the night!" she barked out.

Almost everyone collapsed to the floor immediately in exhaustion. Most of them found a tree to lean against while nursing their injuries. Because of the shortage of manpower, only three quest members were allocated to stand watch. Lapblood volunteered herself, with Nike and Edward joining her to do the night shift.

Calvin was too tired to think about anything else. He set up a ground sheet as fast as possible and used his backpack as a pillow. Lying down, he allowed himself to be consumed by grief and worry, and he fell into a deep sleep.

**There I'm done! Thank you to all who reviewed my previous chapter, and I encourage every single person reading my story to please please please review my chapters. It's the driving motivation behind me writing this story. **

**I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, and I look to boost the pace again as this story continues its long ascent to its climax. I'm so delighted I have hit over 80k words for this story so far. It's incredible how long I've been doing this! I ask for the continued support of my readers and for people new to my story to give it a chance. Reviews please!**

**Anyway, the question will be the same for this chapter, as well as the next one, but I'll throw in an extra question at the end for this chapter. Hopefully it gets you to analyse the story and ponder on the possible traitors on this quest(or maybe even outside it?)**

**Question: Who is the traitor inside or outside the quest? And what is his/her motivation? I won't be dropping any hints here so your guess is completely done on your own and with the assistance of the story.**


	23. Chapter 23: A New Guide

**Hi guys! Thank you for the review by IMightWriteAFafic. Your support has been crucial to my revival of form! You have set me with a very high standard I'm not sure I have met or can meet, but your review was very heartwarming! And do remember to try your hand at guessing who the traitor is! I'm excited to learn who you think the traitor is.**

**Another guess by a guest reader is that Conrad is the traitor. Once again, a fascinating guess, but I refuse to reveal who the traitor is until the time is right, of course. To all those who have read, but not reviewed my work, I'm pleading with you to do so. And do remember to try guessing who the traitor is as well!**

**Anyway, here is Chapter 23. I'm a little irritated I couldn't increase the action in this chapter, but seeing as I have 7 chapters left to do so and there are some plot details I'd like to add, I can't increase the tempo by too much. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you are reading this I urge you to review my chapter!**

**Chapter 23: A New Guide**

Calvin woke up to the smell of rain, which was impossible, considering that it never rained in the Underland. It wasn't a bad smell, though. It actually smiled quite fragrant. He recognised the smell from his trip to Australia, where he had gotten used to the smell of the wild. He decided to investigate its smell, so he forced himself to his feet.

All around him, his fellow quest members were sleeping like babies, and some of them were snoring disgustingly loud, while others had half-eaten pieces of food in their mouths, demonstrating how uncouth they actually were. He almost laughed out loud when he suddenly remembered the events of yesterday.

It hit him like a blow from a hammer. A whole stream of images from yesterday's battle flowed through his mind. Mouse suicide. Drugged food. Carnivorous plants. Arthur. Chased by foxes. Sand pit. Ripred. Luxa. Conrad. Battle on the bank. Hecate flying. Aelius charging. Murellus sacrificing himself. Dead bodies all around. A white flower. Hadrian sobbing. Hero upset. Darkness.

Calvin nearly fell back into unconsciousness, such was the sheer impact of the images hitting him. He felt himself beginning to feel the pain that he had experienced yesterday returning. His heart began to sink almost as if it was weighed down by the deaths of his friends. It was difficult for him to remember why he had even gotten up in the first place.

It was tough for him to look around and not see the little details which revealed how much everyone had suffered from the battle. Hadrian was tossing and turning, mumbling Icarus' name in his sleep. Nike had fallen asleep while tenderly tucking her wing in a comfortable position, which was weird since she was supposed to be standing guard. The wound looked even worse than yesterday. Erik's cheeks still had tear stains on them, while Hero had gone off to sleep alone and outside the company of the rest of the quest members.

Calvin was tempted to join them and wallow in his own misery as well. He really needed to feel better and feel together in such a trying time. He needed to stop feeling guilty and alone. For a moment, he considered turning to Murellus for help, but then he remembered Murellus was gone. And Murellus was gone because of him.

A sharp pain hit his heart like a blade had pierced his flesh at the thought of Murellus. There was no doubt that Murellus' death was solely Calvin's fault. It was Calvin's arrogance that had cost his friend his life. The tears didn't cascade down his face like a waterfall anymore. He had done all his crying yesterday. But the pain, the pain of losing his noble friend, still remained deeply entrenched in his heart.

Calvin looked around to see if he could find anyone to speak to, and then he spotted a fire a few metres away from the rest of the camp. Calvin made his way over there, and as he drew nearer, he realised that there was a small gathering of quest members there. It was essentially just the quest members who had elected to stand guard, without Nike and with Temp. Even then, the cockroach had snuggled himself up against a small shrub and appeared to be sleeping soundly.

It looked like it was going to be just him, Lapblood and Edward then. He settled down near the fire, with both Lapblood and Edward making space for him. They stared intensely into the fire and its burning embers for a while, before Calvin finally started a conversation, "I thought Nike was supposed to be standing watch."

"I sent her back to get some rest. She needed it. Her wing was bothering her badly and the pain would probably be exacerbated by tomorrow if she didn't stop to get some rest. Our fliers are badly injured at this point in time. We need them to recover as fast as possible," Lapblood explained.

"And if you're wondering why dear little Temp is taking a little nap here, it's because he bravely offered to stand guard. Unfortunately, the poor guy grew so exhausted that he promptly fell asleep in that corner after a while," Edward added.

"You know, you should have guard shifts, instead of making one set of guards stay up the whole night. It can be awfully tiring and taxing on someone's energy levels," Calvin suggested.

"Look at everybody here, Calvin. We are a troop of bedraggled soldiers just about being able to haul our bodies around. Many of us here have sustained bad injuries. Everybody here except for Edward and me is in a terrible state. We have no choice but to stay up the whole night," Lapblood reasoned.

"There's me and Hero," Calvin pointed out.

"Please, Hero is barely made of steel. She will struggle to keep herself awake for the first hour and then succumb to its temptation. That's how she is. And you're our asset. We need you to relax and get your beauty sleep," Edward contended.

Calvin looked at Lapblood. She was in a terrible physical state. her fur was stained and matted with blood, while her left hind leg looked badly bruised. Meanwhile, her face was covered with scratches and part of her front tooth was chipped. "You look awful," he told her honestly.

"Thank you for the compliment," Lapblood replied sarcastically.

"You're doing this out of your own resolve. It's not because you are in a better physical condition than anyone else," Calvin pressed her.

"That is true," Lapblood conceded, "but I must set an example as a leader. I cannot take a rest while my subordinates watch on through the night. I can't let everybody down. Someone must endure the pain, and I'm determined that I'll be the one who endures this pain."

"Everybody respects you as our leader, Lapblood, whether or not you're taking the brunt of the suffering or not. You don't have to go through this alone. Go and get some sleep. I've had sufficient sleep. You haven't got that. Here's your chance to rest," Calvin insisted.

"I'm fine!" Lapblood snapped in annoyance.

"We need our leader to be in tip-top condition for battle, so that she can lead us into the thick of fighting. Don't lose your energy over menial work like this," Calvin argued.

"Firstly, standing guard and protecting your friends is not menial work. Secondly, when I've told you that I'm determined to do something and that I'm fine, don't bother trying to change my mind. And lastly, remember not to question my authority, especially when it concerns important decisions," Lapblood growled in an almost hostile manner.

Calvin decided to give up this small squabble he had with Lapblood, and he stopped talking about it. Another period of silence followed. And then Edward spoke up. "So what's the plan for tomorrow? We have no idea how to get to the schemer tunnels without Murellus. And even if we did, we would have to maneuver our way through them on our own. That is Uncharted territory. We have no idea which tunnel leads where. In all honesty, we are lost."

Lapblood nodded slowly. "That is a legitimate concern. Presently, I don't have a direct solution to that problem, although…" she paused for a moment, appearing as if she was trying to recall something, "although I may have some idea where to go."

She cleared her throat and went on to elaborate, "Before this quest began, Murellus and I had a discussion on the route we were taking to the schemers' base of operations. He actually outlined the direction we should take. That discussion included which tunnels to follow, and I vaguely remember some of the terms and phrases he used."

"That's not much," Edward said frankly.

"It's better than nothing," Lapblood replied tersely, at which Edward nodded his head in agreement.

"We still need to think of something else. We shouldn't just walk in there feeling blindfolded and hoping for the best," Edward maintained.

"I've thought about it. I can't think of anything else. We don't have a guide, and we can't find one," Lapblood said in frustration.

Slowly, they let that reality sink in. Calvin knew that without Murellus, there was no way they were going to get anywhere near the schemer tunnels, let alone getting to the schemers' base of operations. Lapblood and Edward knew that too, but they were just too afraid to admit it. It was better to keep that last sliver of hope rather than just give up, but the reality was their situation was bleak.

"I've got a feeling that the schemer tunnels are north from here. For that is the direction Murellus seemed inclined to take throughout the quest. Heading north," Lapblood said in an upbeat tone, but Calvin still couldn't fathom how they were going to get to the schemer tunnels without a guide.

There was a slight rustling in the bushes about thirty to forty yards away from the camp. "I'll check that out," Edward offered, and he made his way over there. Calvin and Lapblood returned to staring at the fire, which was not very smart considering Calvin's eyes had begun to hurt from his prolonged staring. Finally, he tore his eyes away from it and turned to Lapblood. "Situation doesn't look good at all."

Lapblood ignored what he said. "You know his death wasn't your fault," she told him.

Calvin knew exactly what and who she was talking about. "If this is some kind of bullshit to make me feel better, it's not working. Both you and I know very well that he is dead because of me."

"What is this bullshit you speak of?" Lapblood asked out of curiosity.

"Never mind what that is!" Calvin exclaimed exasperatedly, "The point is simple. Don't try to… sugarcoat the truth by lying to me. Murellus' death is my fault."

"And what is this sugarcock that you speak of?" Lapblood asked innocently.

"Firstly, it's sugarcoat, not sugarcock! A sugarcock would just be so wrong. Secondly, just forget all those english terms I've said that you don't understand. What I'm trying to say is that I'm to blame for Murellus' death, and no amount of consoling can hide that," Calvin sighed.

"That's not entirely true, Calvin," Lapblood said gently, "he was considering killing himself for a while. During the quest itself, he came up to me and told me that he wanted to die, because the Underland had no place for him. And that's why he divulged some information to me as to the directions we should take for the remainder of this quest. He didn't tell it to me before the quest started, he told it to me during the quest itself."

When Calvin didn't respond, she carried on. "Calvin, he wanted to die an honourable death. He wanted his death to be a sacrifice. And I think that the one quest member he was willing to sacrifice himself for was you. He genuinely believed in the potential of greatness you had. I'm not sure if he could live with letting you die. In a sense, you were the closest thing to a protégé Murellus had. It would do him great honour for you to succeed in this quest."

Calvin looked down, trying to hide the tears that had begun to surface again. "Calvin, there is no point feeling guilty and allowing the pain to control you. You will only destroy yourself and destroy the legacy that Murellus wanted to create. Don't let his death be in vain. Pick yourself up," Lapblood said sadly.

As Lapblood was talking, the only thought running through Calvin's mind was the sentence, _Our legacy is immortal_. Lapblood was absolutely right. Murellus had intended to leave his legacy with Calvin, and Calvin was determined not to let him down. "Yea, I can do that," he told Lapblood.

Lapblood herself sighed. "Flickmeat was a good friend of mine. She grew up with me. We were trained together, and we fought together. There were four of us who were really close. Mange, Makemince, Flickemeat and me. Mange and I became mates, but the four of us stayed together like a family. I'm the only one out of the four still alive," she said bitterly, "Mange died in the jungle eight years ago, Makemince died during the War of Time, and now Flickmeat is gone."

Now it was Calvin's turn to sympathise with Lapblood. She had seen her friends, and even her mate, pass away. She probably felt very lonely, and very old. He turned to look at Flyfur and Sixclaw. They seemed to be the only reason why Lapblood continued to fight to survive. And then he wondered whether they were the only children she had.

She seemed to read his mind. "They weren't my only ones," she said softly, "The rest died in the plague eight long years ago. I miss every single one of them. I even remember their names, and their little mannerisms. But they're gone now. I only have those two left."

They were quiet for a while more. And then Calvin asked a question that seemed to throw Lapblood off. "Why does Ripred seem to dislike Conrad?" he asked. And after he asked that question, he realised his own stupidity and wanted to slap himself. He had just dropped a massive hint that Ripred, Luxa and Conrad was following them.

Lapblood looked completely stumped, and then she frowned. "Where did you get that from?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's just the vibe I get when I hear Ripred talk about Conrad, or when he looks at Conrad. And back at the war council, when Conrad ordered him to stop strangling Murellus, he ignored him," Calvin said, recovering quickly.

"Very interesting observations," Lapblood mused, "very interesting indeed. You are right, though. Conrad and Ripred are often butting heads with each other. And the reason is simple-"

"It's because Ripred doesn't trust him, and neither do I," came a voice from behind them. Calvin turned to find Edward leaning against the tree, suddenly looking a few decades older than he actually was.

"You are part of the silent majority?" Lapblood asked him in surprise.

"Actually, I'm not that silent. I have voiced my dissent against him, which is why he has invited me for some… talks with him. I'm surprised you haven't noticed my vocal criticisms of him," Edward answered.

"Wait," Calvin interrupted, "what's going on? What is this silent majority? I'm confused."

"Politics, Calvin, politics. The Underland is full of it, as is the Overland, I'm sure," Edward said wearily, "But the short story is, over the past one year or so, there has been a growing dissatisfaction with Conrad's rule as King of Regalia. He is often accused of being very selfish, and there are rumours that he's getting impatient with Luxa. He apparently wants to bed her."

"The silent majority refers to the large number of Regalian citizens who oppose his rule as King in Regalia. They believe he's a twisted bastard, and should not be in charge, but they don't dare to speak up against him. But he's consolidated his power because of his marriage to Luxa, so it is unlikely for him to step down even if we protest loudly. And that;s without pointing out he has some loyal supporters who are well-respected in the city," Lapblood said, carrying on where Edward had left of.

"One of them is Vikus. Vikus just loves and trusts everybody, such is the amount of diplomacy in his blood. He maybe kind and wise, but he's also incredibly gullible. And he firmly believes Conrad is a great ruler. He's so deluded by how much Conrad flatters him that his judgement has now been affected. And then there is Mareth. Mareth and Conrad were good friends back when they were young so Mareth is fiercely loyal to him," Edward grumbled.

"Ripred has no choice but to stay neutral, however much he dislikes what Conrad has done so far, because Ripred is the King's advisor. Even Ripred knows how to play the game of politics, and one important strategy is to never reveal your hand too early," Lapblood explained.

"He seems like a really controversial figure," Calvin remarked, "but whose side are you guys on?"

"You are right. There is no doubt that he's a very controversial figure here in the Underland. As for whose side are we on, I'm firmly against him, and I'm part of the majority of people who oppose his rule, although I'm anything but silent. Lapblood is part of the silent majority," Edward answered simply.

"I'm neutral. I'm just a teeny weeny inclined to one side," Lapblood affirmed, but she gave Calvin a wink.

"My lips are sealed," Calvin assured her.

"Now we should really stop talking politics. It's dangerous even when we're not in Regalia. Who knows who's on whose side," Edward advised.

Nobody spoke for the next couple of hours or so, and then it was time to start moving again. Lapblood called everybody to their feet, and they began the long journey towards the schemer tunnels, with Lapblood at the head of the journey for the first time.

The group moved very slowly, because they were both physically drained and mentally drained. The injuries suffered in yesterday's battle had really taken a toll on them, and their emotions were all over the place, so they couldn't fully focus on the journey. There was almost no vigour coming from anyone.

Lapblood was attempting to get them to push harder by shouting at them and trying to raise their spirits, but nobody could add any energy to the walk. Even Calvin felt extremely sluggish as he tread through the spongy moss on the forest floor. The success of the quest suddenly looked close to impossible. They hadn't just hit a speed bump, they had come to a complete standstill.

As the group continued to walk, Calvin realised that some of the trees had begun to look familiar. God damn it, they had been walking in circles. "Lapblood!" he called out, "We're walking in circles! We were here just half an hour ago!"

A collective groan rose from the quest members, and he heard Sixclaw sprout a profanity in frustration. Lapblood, in her anger, slashed down an entire shrub with her claws, and roared out loud. The quest was now really hopeless. Calvin could see it in everybody's faces. They were beyond just lethargic now. They had stopped believing. The events of yesterday and the event of the day before had just slowed everybody down.

It was now desperation that begun to consume them. They didn't even know whether they were going to make it back alive. They were lost, and didn't know where to go now. Calvin slumped to his knees, and struck the ground in despair. All around him, his fellow quest members were expressing their frustration. Even Temp had collapsed to the floor and rolled himself up, such was the futility of the quest now. Lapblood just looked around in exasperation unsure what to do next.

And then Calvin saw it. Moving through the undergrowth. About thirty yards away. Watching them intently with its green eyes. He could see its tufts of brown fur, and its white, serrated teeth. Only one animal in the Underland had this physical appearance. "SCHEMER!" Calvin roared, pointing at the fox.

Everybody's head swivelled in the direction Calvin was pointing in, and the fox instantly tried to hide. But it was too late. The quest member had spotted him. He began to break into a sprint.

This time, everybody's energy levels did a one hundred and eighty degree turn. Their earlier lethargy was replaced by raw, angry enthusiasm. Calvin found himself charging towards it as fast as he could. All around him quest members were accelerating towards the fox.

Hecate was easily ahead of the rest. She soared through the air before diving towards the fox. She grabbed it by its tail and lifted it into the air, causing the fox to thrash about. She then threw it with all her might against the tree, making the tree shake violently.

Erik then slammed his body against the fox and placed his sword against its throat. "I'm going to make this slow and painful," he spat at the fox.

"Stop!" Lapblood shouted, "Erik, stop! We can use him to get to the schemer tunnels!" She then bounded forward, and Erik calmly stepped aside to let her take control of the situation. He was simmering with fury, but he kept quiet and kept the anger to himself.

Lapblood pinned it against the wall, and grabbed its throat with her claws, constricting it. "Swear by your life that you'll lead us to the schemers' base of operations, and when we get there, we'll spare you while tearing all their throats out."

"Never… O...ver, my dea… d body," it spluttered out. Lapblood reared back, ready to sink her teeth into its throat, when suddenly Calvin heard something crashing through the undergrowth behind them. He whipped out his guns, and the rest of the quest members prepared themselves for an assault.

And then Ripred rolled out of the bush, cursing away while coughing out leaves. Groaning, he got to his feet, while scratching his sides. He looked up at the quest members, who were staring at him, completely stupefied.

"Is this a good time?" he asked.

**There, done! Once again, I apologise for not being able to increase the intensity and action in this chapter, as I thought some details needed to be thrown out here, as it's important for the characters and the story to develop in my opinion.**

**Hopefully you will be excited by the next chapter. I encourage ALL my readers just to spend a minute or two reviewing my work. It makes my day, honestly.**

**Question: Who is the traitor? What is his/her motivation? How did he/she help the schemers?**


	24. Chapter 24: Entering the Tunnels

**Hi Guys! Thank you so, so much to IMightWriteAFanfic for reviewing my story, and writing such nice comments. You guessed that Sixclaw was the traitor, which means that two people have voted for Sixclaw as the traitor, and one for Conrad. I encourage more people to try your hand at guessing who the traitor is. I'd really like to see what YOU guys think!**

**Which leads to my next point. My number of reviews have begun to dwindle again, and I'm urging you guys to please review my story. It's thoroughly disappointing when I only see a faithful reviewer like IMightWriteAFanfic reviewing my story. I mean, it can't really be that difficult, right? Nykolas? Alpha Death?XXxNennaxXRocks? I'd really love it if you guys could review my chapters again!**

**Here's Chapter 24. I'm hoping to increase the action, but once again the plot of my story doesn't allow me to do so that much. I assure you, the next chapter will definitely start to hit big strides as we head towards the final battle of this story.**

**Chapter 24: Entering the Tunnels**

Lapblood was so shocked that her grip on the fox slackened, and then it nearly wriggled free in the process. However, Lapblood retightened her grip on it, and that was that. Everybody around didn't know how to react. Calvin decided to play along and pretend he never knew Ripred was following them, because if they found out, he could be in for some trouble. He just winked at Ripred, but the rat ignored him.

"What's the matter? Are you all just going to stare at me like a bunch of idiots?" he asked. Yet again, nobody knew how to respond.

Finally, Nike spoke, and Calvin could hear the delight in her voice, "I hope you're the only surprise for today. I don't think I can handle so many different emotions in two hours."

Ripred's grin now spread from ear to ear. "Oh, I have another couple of pleasant surprises. They should be here right… NOW."

As if on cue, Aurora and Dionysus flew into view gracefully, before landing gently on the ground. Luxa and Conrad both dismounted from their bats and took their positions next to Ripred. "Brilliant. Just brilliant. This must be a dream," Nike murmured.

"Well, I'm so glad I'm in your dream," Ripred smirked, earning a laugh from Nike herself.

"Definitely not a dream," Nike confirmed, and then the whole group erupted into laughter, including Lapblood.

"Where did you bloody bastards come from?" Edward asked incredulously. Then, realising he was speaking to his superiors, quickly corrected himself, "I mean, your Majesties and Lord Ripred."

"Firstly, when we're on a quest or in battle, you need not address me by that silly name. Its just Ripred. Secondly, we've been following you for a while," Ripred answered.

Calvin noticed the fox thrashing about in Lapblood's grip, and he blurted out, "Excuse me, but we still have a schemer to interrogate. Can we save the catching-up for later?"

Although he sounded very impolite and crude, his interruption was exactly what was needed. "Oh, I'll… handle that," Ripred replied chillingly, causing goosebumps to appear on Calvin's arms. Boy, when that rat needed to sound ominous and scary, he did it to great effect.

Ripred paced forward, and beckoned for Lapblood to let go of the fox. Lapblood nodded obediently, and she let go of the fox, dropping it on the floor unceremoniously. The fox gasped and started coughing away, and Calvin could see the visible claw marks on his neck that Lapblood had made.

Ripred looked the fox in the eye. "Are you going to cooperate with us or not?" he asked simply.

The fox continued to hack away, but it showed its loyalty and determination by looking deep into Ripred's eyes and shaking its head. "So you're going to be difficult with me? I'm going to give you another chance. Are you going to cooperate with us or NOT?" he asked, now sounding a bit more imposing.

Once again, the fox shook its head, although it hesitated before it did. Ripred now took a different approach. "I know why you refuse to work with us. You're scared of Flavius. You're scared of what he'll do to you if you let him down. Fair enough. But do you want to know something really interesting?" Ripred asked.

The fox didn't answer. Then, Ripred leaned in and whispered into its ear softly, but loud enough for most of the quest members to hear him say, "Flavius is a child compared to me. Let's just keep this between the two of us. I'm a monster compared to Flavius. And deep down in that little heart of yours, you know it's true, darling."

Ripred's demeanour was making Calvin feel uncomfortable. Ripred was often displaying his sardonic sense of humour as well as his warped mentality in a very loud and open fashion. His unusual handling of the fox captive was highly unlike Ripred. Calvin got the feeling that Ripred was a dormant volcano about to become active.

The fox still refused to commit itself. Ripred laid a paw on its cheek. "Do you know who I am?" he asked. Yet again, the fox refused to respond. Ripred pressed the claw slightly harder into the fox's cheek. "I just asked you a simple question that doesn't challenge your loyalty. I asked you whether you know who I am. I want an answer," Ripred demanded, starting to sound extremely intimidating.

Finally, the fox spoke. "Lord Ripred of Regalia. A rager. A disgrace to the Underland," it spat.

Ripred roared with laughter. "That IS funny, schemer. We are forcing you to work for us, which means you aren't a willing servant. I know better than to trust the word of a schemer, but I know how fond you are of deals. So here's the deal. We let you live, and you bring us to Flavius undetected. How does that deal sound to you?"

The fox shook its head vehemently. "I'll never work for scum like you," it snarled at Ripred.

Now Ripred grinned, and for the first time, Calvin could see malice in Ripred's grin. This was a dangerous rat you wanted to stay away from as much as possible if he was not your friend. And if he was your enemy… Calvin didn't even want to venture there.

Ripred began to dig his claws into the fox's cheek, drawing blood. From a distance, it appeared as if Ripred was caressing its face, but in reality, Calvin could see Ripred cruelly piercing its skin with his claws. The fox gritted its teeth in pain but never screamed. "And I'll never tolerate "no" for an answer from scum like you," Ripred snarled back, and Calvin could hear the dangerous edge in his voice.

Ripred began to drag the claw down its cheek, creating a long, deep scratch running down the side of its face. Blood began to soak its facial fur, and Calvin could see the fox visibly struggling to prevent itself from screaming in pain. "That's enough, Ripred," Luxa called out to him as a warning, but Ripred ignored her.

"You WILL bring us to the base of operations," Ripred growled at it, and its face had contorted with sheer pain from Ripred's torturing. Ripred's claw had almost gone down its entire right side of the face, and was now heading towards the neck. And even Calvin knew that would be fatal. "Ripred, we need it alive. Stop now," Luxa's tone was more urgent now.

Once again, Ripred decided to ignore her. "THAT'S ENOUGH, RIPRED!" Luxa shouted.

The closest thing to Ripred stopping was him glaring at Luxa for a second or two, before he continued to drag his claw down her face. The claw was now almost past the chin area, and soon the fox would be gurgling and suffocating in its own blood. Ripred only smiled, "Two can play a game," he told the fox.

Ripred showed no signs of stopping. Within ten seconds, he would have sliced through the fox's jugular veins at the rate he was going. Finally, the fox screamed, "DEAL! DEAL, LORD RIPRED!"

Ripred immediately retracted his claw, and the fox nearly slipped into unconsciousness from the pain. It was a very ugly sight. The fox's face looked a complete mess. One side looked completely clean and well-groomed, while the other side had a long scar running down its face, and was completely covered with blood. Little rivers of blood flowed down its body, making it look both dead and alive at the same time. Ripred turned away from the fox. "It's all yours," he told Lapblood.

"We need it to be less traumatised. Erik, bring the bandages. We need to clean up the blood on its face," she ordered Erik.

Erik refused to move. "We are not going to waste precious bandages on our enemies. They have slaughtered our friends, and we are going to clean up their injuries for them? No, let them die if they have to," Erik responded coldly.

"These are different circumstances, Erik. These are extenuating circumstances. We need it to live. We need it to get to the schemers' base of operations. Stop being petulant and get us the bandages!" Lapblood snapped.

"And what if we need those bandages later? We are going to just stand helpless while our friends die because we spent bandages on a disgusting schemer?" Erik replied angrily.

"Ariadne's death is affecting you. Use your brain, Erik, not your heart! The only way you're going to avenge your bond and your friends is by reaching the base of operations!" Lapblood yelled at him.

Calvin noticed Erik's hand slip towards the hilt of his swords. "Erik," Calvin warned his friend, and Calvin's own hand rested on his pistol. Erik turned to face Calvin, and Calvin was frightened by what he saw in Erik's eyes. He saw wild rage that was out of control, and grief that matched even Calvin's feelings at the death of his father. Calvin had no idea that the death of a bond really meant that much.

"Please, Erik," he pleaded with his distraught friend, "I don't think this is what Ariadne would have wanted. I really don't think doing this would have made her proud of you."

Erik's eyes now went wild with fury and madness. Calvin saw his hands tightening around the hilt of his sword. Calvin was unwilling to pull out his own weapon and hurt his friend, but Erik looked beyond control. "Erik, stop this!" Conrad barked at him.

At this moment, Calvin really wanted to give himself a facepalm. Conrad's stupidity could get someone hurt. Erik was just about to unsheathe his sword, and then suddenly he stopped. He sat down abruptly, and slowly started sobbing away. "I'm so sorry," he apologised, "I have no idea what possessed me, but I'm so sorry."

Lapblood stepped forward, and said to him softly, "It's ok, Erik. Just get the bandages for us."

Erik nodded miserably, and he made his way over to his backpack where he quickly retrieved the bandages. He then went right over to the fox to tend to its wounds. A collective sigh of relief rose from the group. "That was dramatic," Ripred remarked, "Now let's fill these little buggers in."

The entire group took a seat at that spot and Ripred quickly filled them in on the adventures that Conrad, Luxa and he had undergone. Calvin noticed his conscious effort to leave out the part about their meeting with Calvin in the sand pit, which he was grateful for. In turn, the other quest members quickly told them the details of their own adventure, including the mentioning of those who had died on the quest.

"We will honour all those who perished on this quest," Luxa assured them, "Their names will be cast into stone and remembered for centuries to come. Even the schemer will be honoured."

"This will happen ONLY IF the quest succeeds, though," Ripred stated matter-of-factly.

"Ripred, don't be so negative!" Luxa reprimanded him.

"I'm trying to be realistic here, Your Majesty!" Ripred said in his defence.

Calvin smiled. The exchanges between Luxa and Ripred were very amusing, and Calvin could tell the both of them had been through a lot together. He was starting to warm up to Luxa slightly. Her erratic behaviour in front of him had made him doubt her ability as a queen, but she actually seemed quite wise at such a young age, even if she was a little too arrogant too often. He was glad that she was at least willing to recognise the death of Murellus.

It almost seemed as if Lapblood was reading Calvin's mind again. She leaned in next to him and whispered, "Luxa wasn't always like that. She used to discriminate against rats, and even cockroaches, or at least that's what I heard. If you'd say to anyone ten years ago that she'd be honouring someone from a race of Regalia's mortal enemies, nobody would've believed you."

"How'd you know I was thinking about Murellus?" he asked in surprise.

"I'm quite old, Calvin," Lapblood replied, "I can tell from the look on your face what you're thinking about."

"What made Luxa change to become so… accepting?" Calvin asked, sticking to the actual topic.

"The Warrior," Lapblood answered. "He taught her that your enemies should not be defined by race or a hasty generalisation."

"He sounds more like the Peacemaker rather than the Warrior," Calvin commented

"Actually, when you truly think about it, a peacemaker and a warrior can be very similar," Lapblood finished.

Calvin turned back to the main conversation, where Ripred was talking. "So, are we done exchanging information and pleasantries?" he asked in a dull voice.

"We'll give the schemer another half an hour to recover from its… traumatic experience," Lapblood said, shooting Ripred a look, "but in the meantime, the rest of you can either get some rest or talk to Ripred. I suggest the first option."

Everybody laughed, and even Luxa and Conrad spared a grin. The quest suddenly looked like it was brimming with hope again. Calvin, due to the lack of sleep he had for the past few days, elected to take a nap, while Conrad, Luxa, Ripred, Nike, Temp and Lapblood all sat together to discuss some strategies.

As expected, Calvin's nap didn't last long. Within half an hour, the fox was on its feet, and just about ready to set off. He was roused from his sleep by Erik, who apologised to him for appearing to threaten him. Calvin accepted Erik's apology, but felt a little troubled by his friend's unstable behaviour.

Meanwhile, Ripred had even been able to learn the fox's name. It was a female fox, and her name was Cassandra. Her eyes shone with hatred whenever she spoke to Ripred, and it didn't take a genius to realise why. The scar running down the side of her face looked downright brutal. There really was no other way to describe it. Ripred had really brought her through hell and back again.

They initially travelled at a slow pace, with Cassandra unable to begin jogging just yet. As they trudged along the forest, Lapblood spoke to Cassandra. "How far are we from the schemer tunnels?" she asked.

"Less than half a day at the rate we're travelling," Cassandra replied stoutly.

"And how long will walking through the schemer tunnels take?" Lapblood asked.

"Stop asking questions!" Cassandra snapped at Lapblood.

"You want to be rude again, honey?" Ripred called out from the back.

Cassandra snarled, but through gritted teeth, answered, "Less than a day as well, but that also depends on the obstacles we're facing."

"What obstacles will there be?" Lapblood pressed.

"Us," came Cassandra's short and blunt reply.

"Wonderful," Lapblood grumbled.

Calvin found himself walking next to Hero, who had been very quiet for the past few hours. "Are you ok?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am ok," she responded emotionlessly.

To prevent things from getting too awkward between them, Calvin decided to try and strike up a conversation with her. "What's Kent like? I mean, what kind of person is he?"

At the mention of Kent's name, Hero perked up. "He's a really good twin brother. As is with most twin brothers, which by the way is rare in the Underland, he's extremely caring and protective over me. But apart from being fiercely defensive of me, he's a very easy-going boy. He has a love of pranks and jokes, and he's generally friendly when he meets the strangers for the first time," she told Calvin.

"He looked suspiciously at me the day I first met you," Calvin pointed out.

"He was worried you were harassing me. And I was turning bright red, if you remember," Hero reminded Calvin, "and then there's the fact that you're an Overlander. He doesn't really know what to make of you. On one hand, the Warrior is an Overlander which has become part of our folklore, and on the other, he has heard stories of the Warrior's incompetence and the ultimate damage that he caused. I'd say Kent has no idea what to make of any Overlander."

Calvin nodded understandingly. "Apart from him and Howard, do you have any other siblings?"

She nodded. "I do. I have an older sister Stellovet, and a younger sister called Chimney," she replied.

"And what do you think about them?" Calvin asked.

"Chimney is still a sweet little girl. She's very cute and is still innocent. She's my father's favourite of course, because of her youth. Stellovet, on the other hand… There is some friction between her and the rest of the family. I don't like to speak badly of my sister, but to put things nicely, she's power-hungry and jealous of Luxa. Apparently she also had this intense fascination with the Warrior, which really had my mother worried," Hero said.

"Stellovet and Chimney stay at the Fount with my parents York and Susannah. Now that I think of it, I really miss them," Hero continued, "but I'm so glad that I'm here in Regalia with the siblings I'm closest to."

"Howard and Kent? Why are you three here while Stellovet and Chimney remained back at the Fount? And what's the Fount like?" Calvin asked.

"Kent, being my twin brother, has always been close to me. And Howard is a fantastic older brother. That's why I'm closest to them. As for why we are in Regalia, it is because Kent wanted to pursue a career in military training. My parents didn't want the two of us to be separated. They thought it was better for twins to stay together, so I joined him here. Regalia has always been known to have superior military training as compared to the Fount," Hero explained.

She paused for a while to drink some water and catch her breath, before she carried on, "Howard is here because Regalia needs him. My mother Susannah is a great doctor but she insists on staying at the Fount unless there was a massive need to go to Regalia. But Howard, during the War of Time, showed promise as Chief Doctor of Regalia and has since remained here, with occasional visits back to the Fount. As you probably know, he is having a successful career as doctor here in Regalia."

"The Fount is quite different from Regalia. We aren't quite as grand in terms of design, but we still have a rich history. Our construction was part of a plan by Sandwich to build many different cities and house many different colonies here in the Underland. Unfortunately, the plan fell through, and only the Fount was built. At the moment, we have slightly more than half the population size of Regalia, and we enjoy a strong relationship with the nibblers living in the colony nearby our home," she concluded.

"Have the schemers taken interest in it?" Calvin questioned aloud.

"Yes, they have," Hero answered, and Calvin could hear the uneasiness in her voice, "they have surrounded the area, cutting off any military support we can provide to Regalia. Another one of the schemer's lieutenants, Gaius, is leading the military operation there. We have only engaged in minor skirmishes so far, at least from what I've heard."

Calvin decided to drop the topic. It seemed like it was close to Hero's heart, and he didn't want her getting all upset again.

Nevertheless, she continued to speak about the Fount, "During the War of Time, we were also not the main focus of the gnawers, but we were under assault for a large portion of the war. The gnawers overwhelmed us with sheer numbers, and although they never broke into the Fount, many lives were lost. That being said, it's definitely Regalia which has been under more heavy damage over the past few centuries."

Calvin nodded, but he didn't get a chance to start talking again. Cassandra had broken into a light sprint at the order of Lapblood, and she began to increase her pace, with Ripred literally and figuratively snapping at her heels, much to Calvin's disgust and amusement.

They jogged in silence for the next two hours or so, with Calvin not exerting too much effort in case he got too tired. He allowed his mind to go blank, which enabled him to get some rest in the mind. But then, they jogged around the bend and Calvin was jolted by the sight in front of him.

"That does NOT look like a tunnel. Give credit where it's due, the schemers really know how to make an impression at their doorstep," Ripred breathed in awe, and for once he didn't sound sarcastic at all.

The entry into the schemer tunnels was a massive archway that must have been at least the same size of Petra's massive gateway. It was nothing short of breathtaking. If the schemer had done up this arch, then the French engineers behind the Arc de Triomphe were made to look amateur. The words, "The Schemer Tunnels" were engraved on the side of the gateway, as well as the head shape of a schemer on the other side of the arch.

Luxa drew out her sword. "Let's go," she said simply. And staring at the incredible sight before them, they entered the schemer tunnels.

**I'm sorry, this isn't my best writing. I hit a writer's block halfway, and I struggled to write a good chapter. I feel like this must be one of my worst chapters. It lacked the suspense I was hoping to draw from certain scenes, and it also lacked the depth I was trying to create. And it felt like it took forever to write this chapter. I apologise if I have ticked you off with my poor writing. I promise I will improve the next chapter.**

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW MY STORY. PLEASE. IT'S REALLY NOT THAT HARD TO WRITE ONE REVIEW AND MAKE THE WRITER FEEL BETTER WHERE THE REVIEW IS POSITIVE OR NOT. My point is that your reviews truly make a difference, and I'd really like to see it.**

**Question: What dangers apart from the schemers will the quest members face in the schemer tunnels? Kudos to anyone who can get this right. The answer is the name of my next chapter, by the way.**


	25. Chapter 25: Stingers

**Hi Guys! Special thanks to IMightWriteAFanfic for and Thiazzie for writing a review for me. I'm glad you thought that chapter wasn't too bad. And thank you for the nice words! I wish everybody was like you guys and could review my work.**

**Thiazzie, you guessed Conrad as the traitor. That makes 2 votes for Conrad and 2 votes for Sixclaw, which puts the both of them in the front running for traitor amongst those who read my story. I hope more people can review my work and guess who the traitor is!**

**Anyway, here is Chapter 25. There is much more action in this chapter and I guess I'm fairly satisfied with it i comparison to the previous chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**SPOILER ALERT(kinda): For those who know you are sensitive, you MIGHT want to put a tissue box next to you. Things could get REALLY intense.**

**Chapter 25: Stingers**

It was stunning. Simply stunning. Calvin had no idea how to describe the tunnels in words. By the current age's standards, massive skyscrapers and engineering marvels could be created, but that was only with advanced engineering. To find an engineering masterpiece down in the Underland where they had no such technology was beyond his wildest imagination.

What could you say? All you could do was marvel at an engineering phenomenon of the Underland. Calvin really had no idea what to say. He remembered the time when his father brought him to Rome, about a year before his father had passed away. His father wasn't Catholic, but needed some deliverance for his soul, apparently. They had visited St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican Church, and to Calvin, that had set the standard for ancient buildings.

These tunnels seemed to match that standard. The walls and ceiling weren't made of rock. Incredibly, they were made of stone, which meant that the schemers must have, against all odds, found some way to build a stone ceiling in the middle of a bunch of rocks. Calvin tried to imagine the schemers devising some plan of doing so, but he just couldn't. He wanted to know the answers though. Unable to control himself, he asked Cassandra, "Did the schemers create this without any assistance from any other animals?"

Cassandra shook her head. "I know you find us incredibly intelligent, but even we aren't capable of such feats. We had help," she said, looking at Calvin, "from Overlanders."

Calvin was shocked. Overlanders had come down to create this for them? "When did the Overlanders come down here to help you?" he asked.

"Hundreds of years ago, Overlander. Sandwich wasn't the first Overlander to come down here. There were many before him, but of different complexion. They assisted us in building these tunnels. Unlike these humans we are at war against, they were very willing and helpful," Cassandra mocked.

"You mean you threatened them to be your slaves," Ripred pointed out.

"We did no such thing," Cassandra insisted.

"Do you really expect us to believe your bullshit?" Ripred asked contemptuously.

Cassandra just kept quiet, which made Calvin feel extremely uncomfortable, precisely because she looked way too comfortable for someone who had just been taken prisoner. He honestly didn't trust her, and he was sure neither did Ripred. But if Ripred had no problem with following her, then Calvin wasn't going to complain too. Ripred probably had a back-up plan up his sleeve. Or at least Calvin hoped so.

As they journeyed through the wide, spacious tunnels, Calvin admired the intricate drawings on the both sets of walls, which seemed to run down the same path forever. The light coming from the lamp they were using cast flickering shadows, which added to the great effect of the drawings. The experience was truly nothing short of unique and incredible.

Calvin could see he wasn't the only one who was astounded by the spectacle they were witnessing. In fact, he couldn't find anyone who appeared to think badly of the architectural design. Everybody found it magnificent. Even Cassandra occasionally stopped to savour the work of her predecessors, which nobody objected to. Calvin could just keep singing praises of it all day.

It was Lapblood's sharp tone that brought everybody back to reality. "These tunnels are tremendous and impressive, but stay focussed and don't get too mesmerised. We are here on a quest, not some sightseeing adventure," she reminded everybody, "Remain on guard and vigilant."

Even Ripred had no sarcastic comment for what she had said. Lapblood was absolutely right. They were on the verge of becoming careless by being too distracted by the scenes in front of their eyes. An attack right now would throw them off balance, and cripple their ability to advance into the fox's territory. It was a good thing Lapblood was trying to keep them on their toes.

Just at that moment, as the light from the lamp continued to flash around, Calvin spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Could it be?... No, it was impossible. His eyes must have begun playing tricks on him again. The sight of that meant and made too many things too complicated, and it was an indication that… oh no. "Stop!" he called out, "Stop!"

Everybody halted immediately. "What is it boy?" Ripred asked impatiently, "Do you need to pee? If you do, we're not having any piss stops. You should have gone just now while we were still talking back in the forest."

"No," Calvin replied, choosing to ignore Ripred's comment, "I wish it was just that, but it's not. He walked over to the left side of the tunnel, and picked up a small rod-shaped object. Yes, his eyes had not lied to him. That small rod-like object in the Overland was commonly used and was generally harmless, but seeing it here…

"What is that?" Nike inquired.

"A battery," Calvin replied, "In simple words, it is an object, or rather a device, that converts stored chemical energy into electrical energy. It's used in the Overland for a variety of purposes, mainly having to do with electricity of course. It's used to power lamps, cars, phones, computers, weapons… It's used to power our world."

Everybody stared at him blankly. "Overlander, in no way is your explanation simple," Sixclaw remarked.

"We still have no idea what you're driving at," Flyfur added sheepishly.

"That's because the Overlander is very shit at explaining things," Ripred chipped in, "but using my relatively extensive knowledge of the Overlander. Let me explain what it is. It is the source of a very unique type of energy that is very powerful. What the Overlander's point is that this is a sign of-"

"-advanced technology," Luxa finished.

"Which means that…" Ripred went on hesitantly.

"... that the schemers may already have their hands on the weapon," Luxa said bleakly.

Ripred turned to Cassandra. "Has Flavius laid hands on the weapon yet?" he asked, with urgency clearly evident in his tone.

Cassandra, obviously scared he was going to give her another painful torture experience, quickly replied, "I'm not that high ranking to know these details, but based on my personal knowledge, he hasn't got the weapon yet." This time, Calvin could tell from her body language that she was not lying.

Ripred probably knew that she was telling the truth as well. Seemingly satisfied with her answer, he relaxed, and said, "Carry on, Cassandra. Don't let me interrupt your show."

Cassandra nodded and continued on her path down the straight tunnel. The group now looked extremely uneasy. Even though they believed Cassandra when she said that Flavius did not have the weapons of mass destruction, the battery was clear-cut evidence that there was the presence of advanced technology in schemer territory. It wasn't a comforting thought at all.

As they continued their long walk down the wide and straight tunnel, Hero asked Calvin, "What are these weapons of mass destruction?"

"They're missiles," Calvin answered curtly.

"Yes, what are they? You can tell me all you know about them, in terms of historical or physical details, or how much damage they can cause. I think I need some context as to what we are trying to stop the schemers from using," Hero responded

Calvin sighed. "It's going to be quite a long talk," he warned her, "but here goes. I have very limited knowledge of the history of missiles, but they are essentially projectiles that are designed to destroy many things upon impact. You do know what projectiles are, don't you?"

"I do," Hero confirmed, snorting, "our vocabulary down here in the Underland may be different from yours, but it is certainly not more limited."

"Actually, I think it is very limited compared to our vocabulary," Calvin said bluntly and brutally.

"Can we stay on the topic for a change?" Hero asked, rolling her eyes, "We were talking about missels, not our vocabulary."

"It's MISSILES, not missels. And as I was about to say, it has become a common mode of destruction in the Underland and is often used as a weapon in war," Calvin told her.

"You use weapons of mass destruction as a weapon in battle in the Overland? That's… really horrific," Hero commented.

"It is," Calvin agreed, "while you all are fighting battles using swords and claws down here, we are blowing each other to bits in the Overland. The scale of destruction is much larger there. But then again, we try not to use missiles unless we absolutely have to, which is why, to a certain extent, there is less wars back in the Overland, although that's also not to say we have few wars. There are still plenty of wars in the Overland."

"You just contradicted yourself," Hero pointed out matter-of-factly.

At that moment, everybody, including Ripred and Luxa, had stopped their conversations to listen to what Calvin had to say. Even Edward and Conrad, who had been embroiled in a heated exchange just moments ago, stopped their row and began listening intently to Calvin. Calvin even observed Cassandra's ears flicking up to listen to what he had to say.

Although he felt slightly under pressure, Calvin answered Hero, "That's not the point, Hero. The point is that missiles are supremely deadly. I estimate that about half a dozen of them would be enough to destroy Regalia for good."

"Tell us more," Hadrian asked, clearly fascinated, "how is it operated?"

"Well," Calvin began, "I believe the missiles in this case refers to guided missiles, which are mostly pre-programmed to hit a specific location. Its trajectory and movement are all determined beforehand. There are some that can be controlled, in the middle of its flight, but since they are so rare, I highly doubt that the schemers would have laid their claws on those."

"How large are they?" came a question from Flyfur.

"Pretty large. It's actually quite hard to say because there are so many different types of missiles. My estimation is that an average missile length would be five or six times the length of me, and the diameter would depend on the amount of destruction the missile is designed to cause," Calvin answered informatively.

Discussions and separate conversations began to break out amongst the quest members about the missiles that Calvin had described. "How would the schemers operate them?" Hero asked.

"That's the problem," Calvin said while frowning, "this means that the schemers would need to have possession of computers, engines and other technology. In the first place, I have no idea how they would gain control of any missiles. They may be schemers, but I'm still totally sure that they can't have built a rocket or missile on their own."

Calvin noticed Ripred's expression darken slightly, and he had a feeling that Ripred knew something that he didn't know. He kept in mind that he would need to confront Ripred about that later.

Finally, the long, straight tunnel ended and they began to descend, with the tunnels no taller than about four metres high, and its width only allowing about four quest members to walk abreast at most. The tunnels began to wind round and round, and the atmosphere began to feel denser and thicker. It was as if the weight of the quest and the danger in it had begun to tangibly weigh down on the shoulders of every single quest member.

Cassandra led them into a large cavern, that seemed to be designed as an atrium of sorts. As they entered, their conversations began to echo around the chamber, with the sound of their talking reverberating of the walls. Cassandra was about to lead them across the atrium to another tunnel on the other side when she stopped abruptly and retreated quickly. "We've got company," she growled.

Ripred sniffed the air. "Get into a simple circle formation! No type of arc will defend us here!" he barked. Everybody did exactly what he said, and they soon found themselves standing in a large circle, with everybody having one person on either side.

"What's the threat, Ripred?" Nike asked.

"You'll see in a few seconds," Ripred mumbled ominously.

Calvin began to hear scuttling noises, and those noises began to flood the chamber. There were six large doorways inside the atrium, and those scuttling noises were coming from each and every one of them. Nike sniffed the air. "Oh, THEM," she murmured.

Calvin drew out his pistols, and quickly checked that they were fully loaded with ammunition. He then trained one gun each on the two tunnels facing him, as the scuttling noises got louder and louder. And then they emerged out of the tunnels. "Stingers!" Edward exclaimed.

The foxes and rats suddenly looked diminutive compared to the creatures that had just entered the atrium. They were scorpions, and up to that point looked like the largest animals Calvin had seen in the Underland. They advanced menacingly, snapping their pincers excitedly, almost looking as if they were about to relish the battle.

But Calvin wasn't scared of the pincers. He was eyeing the horrifically large stinger that was at the end of its long tail. The scorpion sting had an unusual colour, and Calvin wasn't surprised if it contained poison.

"I wish we had Hazard here with us," Luxa growled in frustration, turning to Temp, "Temp, see if you can communicate with them. Speak in crawler."

Temp began clicking away rapidly, and the scorpions stopped advancing. "Temp, do they understand you?" Luxa asked.

"Understand me, they do, understand me," Temp answered, but his tone was still fraught with anxiousness, "Friends of Regalia, they are not, friends of Regalia."

"What do you mean? We have allied with the stingers a long time ago. They have even made peace with the gnawers who have given their home back to them!" Luxa exclaimed.

"Same stingers, these are not, same stingers," was Temp's nervous reply.

"He means that these are different stingers. They belong to schemer territory. They probably haven't seen us before. To them, we probably look like shrimp in cream sauce," Ripred said dreamily.

"Stay focused, Ripred. The shrimp comes later," Luxa snapped at him, "give us a quick breakdown of weaknesses."

"Aim for the facial area. Avoid the pincers and its sting! And stay in this circle formation so we can defend each other," Ripred ordered.

"No!" Luxa objected, "we need to split up and attack them separately. It makes us harder targets to hit with the sting!"

"This is not a time to argue with me, pup!" Ripred snarled.

The stingers had all unanimously decided to continue advancing on them.

"For your information, I'm not a pup anymore! And we're running out of time! Use your brain, Ripred! In this circle formation, many of us will die!" Luxa retorted.

Ripred shot her a glare, but then he roared, "Do as the Queen says! ATTACK THEM!"

Everybody simultaneously launched an attack on the stingers, catching them by surprise. Calvin ignored the others, who had begun to use their swords and claws against the stingers. He picked a stinger in particular, and fired off three rounds at it. Every single bullet hit the target, as the stinger was so large. However, every single one of his bullets ricocheted off the stinger's rock hard shell.

Its exoskeleton appeared to be impenetrable armour. Unconvinced, Calvin fired at it twice more, but once again, his bullets ricocheted off its shell. Cursing under his breath, he now remembered Ripred's advice. He aimed at its face, containing its small mouth and tiny, beady eyes, and fired at it. However, the stinger brought its pincers to its face, where it deflected the bullets easily.

Hadrian, Erik, Edward and Conrad all began a coordinated assault at a particular stinger, provoking it and dashing in and out of the range of its sting. They peppered it with heavy blows to its legs, frustrating it. It tried to snap them into two by using its pincers, but they were just too fast for it. It then proceeded to try impaling them with its legs, but yet again, they were moving too fast.

Calvin decided to add the distractions by firing a couple of shots at its face. Both bullets zipped over its head harmlessly, but it was enough to draw its attention away from them. It hissed at him in fury, and Hadrian made us of that distraction by jumping on its back, and began hitting the top of its head with his sword.

Just then, Calvin saw the stinger's tail rear up. "Hadrian!" he yelled in warning at the soldier. Hadrian just nodded confidently. The stinger then brought down its sting with great ferocity and speed towards Hadrian's back. In literally what must have been the last split second possible, Hadrian rolled off its back, and then the sting plunged itself into the stingers' own head. The stinger scuttled backwards in shock, before crashing to the ground.

"Let's pull that off on the rest of them, Gunner!" Hadrian said with a grin, and they moved on to fight the other stingers. Unlike Calvin and the human soldiers of the Underland, the rest of the quest members were not faring well. They were struggling to even cause the stingers any trouble. Calvin winced when he saw one stinger swat Gnasher as the gnawer was leaping midair at it, sending Gnasher slamming into the wall.

He then watched in horror as a stinger grabbed Hecate by her wing as she attempted to attack it, and the stinger smashed her against the wall. Hecate slumped to the ground and couldn't even get to her feet. Thankfully, Perseus dove down and picked her out, flying her to safety before the stinger to stab its stinger into her flesh.

Luxa and Ripred were trying to take down one stinger in particular, but they were constantly being thwarted by its quick movements and sudden attacks. Calvin ran over to help them, firing bullets at its face. Once again, the stinger deflected the bullets with its pincers, and one stray bullet in particular nearly hit Ripred, but the rat somehow reacted extremely fast by flipping over the bullet.

He gaped at Ripred's agility. Ripred cast a sidelong glance at Calvin. "I'm a rager," was all Ripred said, before launching yet another attack at the stinger. Luxa was extremely graceful in the way she fought. She teamed up with Aurora to flip, somersault and vault over the stinger, raining blow after blow on it, aggravating it.

The stinger was multitasking at that point. Not only was it trying to attack and evade Luxa's attack, but it had to resist Ripred's furious assault as well, as the old rat attacked with all his might. In all reality though, apart from being infuriated, the stinger was still relatively unharmed. Calvin continued to blast bullet after bullet at it, but to no avail. This massive scorpion's shell was just too hard.

Just then, Calvin noticed a stinger beginning to make its way towards a certain corner of the atrium. Calvin suddenly realised it was heading for the corner where Temp and Hero had huddled together to stay out of the way of the fighting.

"HERO! TEMP!" Calvin shouted at them, sprinting towards the stinger. Roaring at it, he slid underneath its body and emerged in front of it. From point blank range, he fired a stream of bullets at its face. But its reaction was even faster. It covered its face, deflecting bullets all over the place., before knocking Calvin out of the way with its pincer. Temp then flew at its face, but it knocked Temp aside with its pincer as well. It then advanced on Hero hungrily.

Calvin was completely winded by the stinger's blow. nevertheless, seeing Hero in danger, he pushed the pain to the back of his head, and forced himself to his feet. But it was too late. Calvin could only watch on in horror as the stinger reared up with its sting, and plunged it towards the screaming Hero…

But it never hit Hero. In the last second, Temp slammed into Hero, sending her skidding across the floor. The sting then impaled itself into Temp, who had put himself in Hero's earlier position. The stinger, screeching and gloating away, pulled its sting out of Temp, leaving the cockroach slumped on the floor.

"NO!" Calvin screamed, and by then, everybody had seen what had happened. He could see the horror and despair in both Luxa's and Ripred's eyes as they watched the whole scene unfold. Calvin didn't give the stinger a chance to gloat. Roaring in anger, he fired three dead accurate shots at its face. All three bullets came into contact with the face, bursting the stinger's eyes and going through its mouth. The stinger gurgled away in its own blood, before crashing down.

All around Calvin, the quest members attacked with double, even triple the ferocity they had before, reinvigorating the fight. Ripred slammed into one stinger so hard that it flew into the wall and cracked its shell. Calvin widened his eyes in surprise as Ripred slammed into it a second time, breaking its shell completely. The stinger was dead within a few seconds.

Luxa slipped her blade through the slits in another stinger's scales, causing it to scream. Erik sliced off the sting of yet another stinger in fury, before dipping his blade in its poison and stabbing the stinger in the face.

Perseus gripped hold of the sting of one stinger, and held it back with all his might, while Hecate and Nike each grabbed one pincer, preventing it from defending himself. Conrad then walked up and drove the blade through its face with so much force that its face caved inwards. All around, the stingers were being killed with ruthless efficiency. Finally, Luxa singlehandedly brought down the last stinger, leaving all the stingers incapacitated or dead.

She then quickly rushed over to Temp's side. The little cockroach was still breathing, as Calvin could see the shallow rising in his chest, but it wasn't for long. The cockroach had a massive hole in his chest, and Calvin could see his innards filled with the stinger's poison. It wasn't a pretty sight, but Calvin didn't care. He had sacrificed himself.

"Temp," Luxa said softly, cradling his body in her hands.

"Queen… Luxa," it choked out.

"Hold in there, Temp. Hold in there," Ripred called out, rushing over to him.

"It's over, Lord Ripred, it's over," Temp whispered.

"You damn crawler, just call me Ripred. And it's not over yet," Ripred insisted, "I know you well. You can hold out. You have proved me wrong before, remember? You're full of surprises."

"Served Regalia well, have I, served Regalia well?" Temp asked, struggling to breathe.

"Yes, you have," Luxa replied, with tears already beginning to flow down her cheeks.

"Then I go to peace. I wish you success. Save… Regalia… please," he gasped.

Calvin realised that was the first coherent sentence he had ever heard from Temp. The little cockroach stopped moving, and Calvin couldn't even see the shallow rising of his chest. "Temp!" Luxa said, and Calvin could hear the pain and distress in her voice as she said his name. "Temp!" she screamed again, but Temp didn't answer. He would never answer again.

Calvin found himself starting to cry, and he noticed that Nike, Erik, Conrad and every other quest member had broken into tears. Even Ripred bowed his head and didn't say anything. Luxa began to weep bitterly, as she held Temp's body close to her chest.

**Done! That was a difficult chapter to write for obvious reasons. I'm sorry I decided to let Temp go, but it was part of my overall plan for the trilogy. I had gotten really close to him as a character while reading Suzanne Collin's Underland Chronicles, so it felt so painful to let him die like that, but I guess I had to. It just felt necessary to fit the story.**

**Please, please remember to review my work. If you didn't like the fact that Temp died, let me know in your reviews as well! If you didn't like HOW he died, let me know as well! Just remember to review my story. For those who loved Temp, I hope I didn't make you sniffle too much. If I did, let me know as well.**

**Anyway, I'm getting excited. I;m down to my last five chapters, and it's crunch time!**

**Question: How large of an influence will Temp's death have on the rest of the quest?**


	26. Chapter 26: Flavius

**Thank you to all my reviewers! Your reviews are greatly appreciated! I'm sorry I forgot to mention haha77's review in my previous chapter. so here's great thanks to you for that! I'm very glad that you've liked my story so far. It is a real confidence-booster! Please continue to review every chapter I put up please!**

**Here's thanking Mythology Bookworm for your first review too! I'm so happy that you've posted a review, and I hope the absence of Gregor in this story doesn't disappoint you. I assure you Gregor will return in the next story, granted I have enough support to continue it. Please continue to review every chapter I put up please!**

**Thank you to my consistent reviewer as well IMightWriteAFanfic. I hope your story is coming along well and I hope to read it too!**

**Here's urging all other readers of my story to please post a review as well! It's real encouragement for a writer like me who is writing his first real fanfic.**

**Anyway, here's chapter 26. The action is steadily increasing, and it's finally starting to culminate into the final battle. Enjoy this chapter, ladies and gentleman! And please don't forget to review.**

**Chapter 26: Flavius**

The tears didn't stop flowing for a long time. Luxa seemed to be hit the hardest. She just seemed unable to hold back any of the tears despite her visible attempt to resist the sobs. Everybody appeared to be speechless. It just seemed that everybody was conveying their emotions through tears rather than words. Temp was the most honourable, selfless and patient quest member out of all of them. If anybody deserved to die, it wasn't him.

Calvin himself had taken a liking to Temp despite the short period of time he had known him. Temp was very quiet, but also extremely diligent and hardworking, which made him a great team member. The fact that he was willing to stand guard that night despite how tired he was just epitomised who he was. A kind, compassionate and courageous friend.

Above all, Temp had given everything for Regalia. He had even given his life so the quest could continue. There was no doubt that it was his death that had spurred the others on to defeat the stingers. But they succeeded at a terrible cost. And Calvin felt the bitter pain of losing Temp just as much as the rest felt. This felt just as bad as Murellus' death.

Finally, Lapblood spoke. "He was the best of us," she choked out, her voice hoarse again.

Calvin noticed Cassandra standing by the side awkwardly, but even though she had the chance to escape quietly, she didn't. She just stood there, watching the entire scene before her glumly. There was a sad look in her eyes, as if she had seen something like this before. Calvin then thought of the phrase, "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy." Perhaps that line was running through her head now.

"I… want to… honour him," Luxa said between sobs, "where shall we put him?"

"We can't bring him along," Ripred said quietly, "I hate to say this, but he'll slow us down. And that's not what he would have wished for us. Leave his body here. If we finish this quest successfully, then we can retrieve his body. But until then, we cannot take it with us."

For once, Luxa did not break into a disagreement with Ripred. She nodded in understanding. "I agree," she concurred, "let us put his body aside nicely though. He deserves that respect." She then turned to Lapblood and nodded, "You are right, Lapblood. He was the best of all of us."

Then, lifting his body, she brought it to a corner which had no blood or poison and laid him to rest there. The scene of Temp's body resting there quietly was nothing less than heartbreaking, and Calvin found himself tearing up again

The entire group slowly but surely got to their feet and wiped the tears off their faces. There was a collective sense of unity and determination to complete the quest for all those who had died. Ripred looked around at all of them, who had gathered together. Calvin could see the quiet confidence in each and everyone's faces. They would avenge their friends at the end of the day. The day, and the quest, was coming to an end soon.

Ripred looked deep into all of their eyes and said, "We haven't come this far to let our friends and comrades down. This is the final stretch. We've fought our way here through many trials and tribulations, but it all comes down to the next few hours. We can fall apart and fail, or we can stand together and fight Flavius' army head on."

Calvin started to get goosebumps. Ripred's speech was stirring up a whole myriad of emotions in his heart. Ripred continued, "Today is when we take a stand for Regalia. Today is when we take a stand for the Underland. Today is when we take a stand for our friends, our family and all those we hold dear. Because today is when we spit into the tyrant's face and show that Regalia still has strength. Show no mercy to any schemer."

He paused, realising Cassandra was listening to his speech as well. "Except for Cassandra, of course," he quickly added.

The dramatic and determined mood that had descended on the quest members quickly dissipated. There was a long and awkward pause. "Your last line ruined the whole thing,"Lapblood grumbled. Everybody, despite all the pain and suffering they went through, could still spare a smile or a chuckle at what Lapblood said.

"I used to be very good at this. Now I'm getting old. But anyway, you all get my point. Now let's go kill some schemers," Ripred replied cheerfully.

During the entire talk, Calvin noticed Hero had been missing. He spun around, but couldn't catch any sight of her. He had a feeling she would be feeling guilty following Temp's death, and wanted to console her. There was no sign of her, however.

Calvin turned just in time to see her shuffling down past one of the doorways and into one of dark tunnels on her own. "Hero!" he called out to her, but she ignored him. He immediately broke away from the rest of the quest members and raced towards the tunnel she had entered.

It wasn't difficult to catch up with her. The tunnel didn't split up into numerous different routes, and Hero didn't even make a half-hearted attempt to escape from Calvin. He quickly caught up with her and gripped her shoulders, pulling her back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked her fiercely.

"Leaving," she said softly, and Calvin, even in the dim light of the lamp she was using, could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Are you crazy?" he asked agitatedly, "Temp has just died for you. He sacrificed himself for you and you're just going to walk away? Seriously?"

Hero nodded miserably. "Precisely. It's my fault Temp died. he sacrificed himself for me because I couldn't help myself. I'm a burden on this quest. It's better to head off and get caught by a schemer and die. That way, I can no longer trouble you all anymore, or cause any of you to die for me," she murmured softly.

"What the hell?" Calvin exclaimed angrily, "Temp sacrificed his goddamn life for you. He gave his life away so that you may still live yours. And now you're going to throw your life away meaninglessly? What does that mean for Temp? Did he just waste his life on you? How can you dishonour Temp's sacrifice?"

"I'm already dishonouring Temp's sacrifice by living," she replied furiously. "Temp's sacrifice will be wasted on me if I continue on this quest, causing more people to die. I don't think that's what Temp wanted, or do you think otherwise?"

"Temp died so that you may fulfil some kind of prophecy or destiny on this quest, which is why you're here in the first place. He died believing in that. And everybody here still believes that. I believe that. And perhaps you can find out your purpose on this quest if you have a little more self-esteem, instead of being so self-deprecating all the time and being afraid of failing," Calvin responded.

When Hero was at a loss for words, Calvin continued, "Losers are those who cannot pick themselves up after defeat. Losers are those who surrender and wallow in their own misery. Do you want to live and die as a loser?"

"I already am a loser," she said sadly.

"That's EXACTLY what I mean! You're so self-deprecating! Why can't you just accept that you still have a destiny to fulfil? We need you, even if you can't see how right now," Calvin said in exasperation.

Hero shook her head, adamant that she was going to be a burden on the quest. "I cannot live with another person dying because of me," she said, and Calvin could hear from the tone of her voice that she was about to crack and breakdown.

"Then don't let that happen. In the end, it's you who is making the decision, not me, not Lapblood, not Ripred, or Luxa, or Conrad, or anybody else. Only you can choose your own path, Hero, and I'm not going to stop you. The quest is coming to an end, and our next few actions will define the future of your home. I can't stay here forever trying to persuade you to do the right thing," Calvin concluded. With that, he turned and left back towards the atrium.

When he entered, everybody stared at him. "So?" Lapblood began with a raised eyebrow.

"How's Hero?" asked Ripred, getting straight to the point.

"I don't know. I spoke to her and left her to make her own decision," Calvin replied.

"And I have," came a voice behind Calvin.

Calvin turned to find Hero standing out of the tunnel, her sword drawn and her hair pulled back. Although she still showed glimpses of nervousness, Calvin could see flickers of confidence in her eyes. It was a start, at least. There was a glimmer of hope.

"Brilliant!" Ripred said, turning to Cassandra. "Now it's my turn to have a word with you."

Cassandra gulped nervously. "If we meet another threat on our way to the base of operations," Ripred began, "and by threat I mean any stingers, spinners, schemers or anything that can cause possible death, then I will execute you on the spot painfully. And trust me, I know where it can hurt."

"I didn't deliberately lead you to face the stingers!" Cassandra protested.

"I don't care!" Ripred snapped angrily, "so you better take us there by the safest and fastest route possible. If I even suspect another schemer following us…" Ripred intentionally trailed off as a warning.

Cassandra nodded. "I think we understand each other," she said stiffly.

With that, she entered another tunnel and began the final journey towards the schemer's base of operations. "Stay silent," she warned them, "or you may attract too much attention to yourselves."

All the quest members looked at Temp's body wistfully for possibly the last time before they began the long walk in the dark. Cassandra was now extremely vigilant, probably owing to Ripred's half-veiled threat to torture and kill her if he felt like it. She was constantly sniffing the air and listening with her ears.

She wasn't the only one doing it. All the quest members who could detect scents and smells were constantly sniffing the air and flicking up their ears to listen out for the presence of any other animals or potential dangers.

And then Cassandra stopped. She squeezed her eyes shut and strained her ears. "I hear noises," she said, her eyes still shut, "a conversation. And I thought I heard Ripred's name being mentioned."

"That's flattering," Ripred drawled, "but what do you want us to do?"

Cassandra looked up suddenly. "They've caught our scent and they're on our trail. I can smell them moving through the tunnels hurriedly. And I can hear them discussing some kind of strategy but I don't have specifics," she reported.

Calvin felt the tension in the tunnel rise up by a few notches. The bats especially looked uncomfortable, and Calvin could comprehend why. In such a tight space, there was no way they could pick up the pace. Their fastest mode of travelling was flying, which they couldn't do in the tunnel. And travelling on foot for them was no way of travelling fast.

Ripred seemed to be the only one maintaining his cool, "Well, then Cassandra," he began, "why are we just standing around here? Tell us how to get out of this situation, or… you know what the consequences are."

Cassandra nodded quickly. "Follow me," she said urgently, and she began running down a series of tunnels which were somehow linked to each other. The quest members had no more time to stop and admire the architecture around them. Cassandra was dashing from tunnel to tunnel. He could hear the bats struggling to keep up, but they really had no time to wait for them. Based on Cassandra's pace, Calvin would have guessed that the foxes were closing down on them.

After ten minutes of taking a series of complicated turns and complex routes, the group emerged into a massive hall. Lined up on either side of the hallway were large statues of different foxes. Above each statue of every fox was its name. There was a Caesar, an Augustus, another Caesar, an Octavius… Calvin soon realised that these were the names of the fox kings. There must have been at least a dozen of them on each side, with every single one of them designed in a formidable pose of sorts. The entire hallway's design yet again was magnificent, and took Calvin's breath away immediately.

"The Hall of Kings," Lapblood breathed, "Murellus told me about it. It is a sign that we are near the schemer's base of operations."

"Indeed," Cassandra agreed, taking in the whole view, "I've only heard stories of this place. I've never actually been in it."

"Cassandra," Ripred growled, "we should really start moving NOW, before the others arrive."

"I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that," said a fox, who entered from one side of the hallway, leading a whole pack of schemers.

"Time to go the other way," Ripred told the group, but when they turned, they found the other end blocked off by another pack of schemers. Ripred turned to face Cassandra, "I warned you-" he said, bristling with anger.

"I'm innocent! I really had no idea!" she pleaded.

"If you want to live later, stay out of this fight," he snarled at her. He then told both packs of schemers, "If you want to stay alive as well, I suggest you stay out of our way."

One fox began to giggle. Then another. And then another, and soon all the foxes had burst into laughter. "Lord Ripred, there are sixty of us, and something like sixteen of you. How can you possibly expect to stave off our attacks, let alone kill all of us?" the lead fox asked. "Surely you learned mathematics and logic when you were a pup," he added with a mocking grin.

"What is your name, schemer?" Ripred asked him.

"Lieutenant Quintus," the fox answered proudly.

"Never heard of you," Ripred replied frankly.

Quintus laughed. "Well, now you do."

There was a period of awkward silence as both parties stared at each other. Ripred then whispered to the quest members, "Don't go on the offensive. Stay compact as a unit. That way things will be less chaotic."

The silence continued for a few more seconds, before Quintus growled, "Slay them all."

The foxes hurled themselves at the quest members with lightning-fast speed, and Calvin had to be even quicker to whipped out his guns. All around him, quest members brandished their weapons and began battle, with the foxes having an advantage by attacking both sides.

Calvin was facing the same direction as Ripred, and the rat did some crazy flips and spins to evade all the attacks that went his way. And then he struck, shearing through the wave of foxes with his teeth and claws. Luxa weaved her way into the mess as well, dancing out of reach of the schemers, before launching her own attacks, maiming most and killing some.

Calvin did what he did best- shoot the damn foxes. The added obstacle this time was the fact that Luxa, Ripred and any other quest member in the midst of engaging the schemers. Again and again, he fired at any weak spots he could find in the thick of fighting. A flailing limb. An exposed belly. An unblinking eye. An open mouth. A clear shot at a shoulder. These images swarmed Calvin's mind as he kept shooting with deadly accuracy at any chance he was given to hurt or kill a schemer.

Suddenly, a fox broke through Ripred's and Luxa's watertight defence and sprang at Calvin. Calvin looked up and fired a shot at it. It was supposed to be an easy shot- the fox had opened its jaws side for a clear shot. But when Calvin pulled the trigger, an empty click followed. It was as if fate was mocking him by condemning him to death by a fox once more. Although he may have cheated death when Murellus had saved him earlier, now it was all over.

In a grand total of one second, what must have been a million thoughts raced through his mind. They were all mostly memories of his father, his mother, his caretaker, his mentor, his friends and even the adventure he had gone through in the Underland. This must have been what it felt like when you saw your life flash before your eyes. This was the final nail in the coffin. Calvin had been fated to die on this quest.

Was that going to be his legacy? To try his hand at beating the Warrior's legacy only to fall short? Was that what had been planned for him? Was his legacy predetermined beforehand? All these questions filled his mind in what appeared to be his final moments. As usual in such battles, time slowed down in front of Calvin. He saw the fox leaping at him, its eyes filled with glory and pride… actually, it was probably just mad and excited. Drool flew all over the place as the fox reached out with its claws and adjusted its neck to deliver the killing blow. He could see its fur standing on end, possibly from the adrenaline rush it was facing. Was this how Calvin's life would come to an end?

_No_, he told himself. History was not going to repeat itself. Not now. Not when he was so close. So instead of staring in a daze at the incoming fox, Calvin dropped his pistols and pulled out his knife. Mr Carter had taught him how to fight with a knife before, and Calvin was going to put that training to good use. It was time to cheat death again.

He sidestepped the fox, and landed a blow on its right shoulder, sending it reeling in a combination of pain and surprise. Calvin then followed up with a feint to the left shoulder, before shifting his attack to its chest. But the fox was way too fast for such an amateur trick. It pulled out of the way, and even feigned retreat before launching a counterattack at Calvin, forcing him to block both swipes from the fox.

For the next half a minute, they were locked in a tight struggle, with both blocking each other's attacks and neither being able to land a blow, let alone a killing blow. And then Calvin tried a double feint, pretending to attack the left leg, then its right flank, before finally going for its throat. Completely caught off-guard, the fox could only watch on in horror as its throat was slit open, with blood gushing out of the wound immediately.

Calvin didn't give the fox a chance to attempt a last second retaliation. He drove the blade into its skull, confirming its demise. He left the blade in the skull as it collapsed on the floor.

Just as he was about to bend down to pick up his pistols and reload them, yet another fox broke through the defence and attempted to attack him while he was now completely helpless. Calvin had no chance of defending himself against this attack. Looked like fate had a cruel way of working things out.

But this time, fate had decided to side with him. Just before the fox landed on him, Conrad stepped into view, lopping off its right limb, causing it to fall short of Calvin with a yelp of pain. Conrad finished it quickly by landing a heavy blow on its neck. Calvin looked up and nodded to Conrad in thanks. Conrad returned the nod and proceeded to battle yet another fox.

As Calvin reloaded his pistols, he looked around as the battle unfolded and could have stood there all day and marvel at the quest member's unity as a fighting force. All over the hallway, quest members were covering each other's backs, with Hadrian hurling his sword at a fox just before it sneaked up behind Gnasher, and Hecate knocking a fox off course as it was about to land on Conrad, while Flyfur and Sixclaw were literally fighting back-to-back. Luxa even threw a sword at Erik for him to catch, so as to help Erik fight off two foxes which had attacked him at the same time.

All over, the quest members were not fighting as individuals anymore. They were fighting as a team. They were fighting as one. For anybody to die was like for everyone to die, and they were fighting with that mentality. United by their bonds of friendship and the deaths of their fallen comrades, they had become an irresistible army, no matter how small it was.

Now inspired by what he saw, Calvin lifted both his pistols and opened fire on the foxes with a combination of thrill, pride, anger, vengeance and adrenaline. One by one, foxes fell whether it was by Calvin's bullets, or Ripred's teeth, or Luxa's sword. Within the next few minutes, any fox that attacked them was left brutally slaughtered.

Finally, only one fox was left in the hallway, and it was Quintus. He stared in shock at the rout which his forces had been on the receiving end of. It was not just a massive defeat, it was complete and utter annihilation. And every quest member was still on his or her feet.

"Are you still going to laugh at me, schemer? Or perhaps you prefer not to join your subordinates in hell? Although I heard hell is quite a pretty place. I think you should give it a try," Ripred taunted.

Snarling, Quintus sprinted at Ripred and Ripred attacked him as well. Both crashed into each other and began grappling each other on the floor. It was really no contest though. Within seconds, Ripred had incapacitated Quintus by slashing his tendons and cruciate ligaments, leaving the fox sprawled helplessly over the floor and moaning in pain. He couldn't get to his feet at all.

Ripred then walked away, but not before telling Luxa, "He's all yours."

Luxa confidently strode up to it. "This," she began, by slicing off both of Quintus' ears, "was for mocking us." Quintus howled in pain, and Calvin really didn't blame him.

"This," she went on, slicing Quintus' snout off, "was for attacking Regalia."

Quintus was now screaming hysterically now, although it sounded very unusual with his snout missing. "And this," Luxa hissed, silencing Quintus by beheading him, "was for Temp."

Silence fell over the hallway as she wiped her blade clean. Then she proceeded to look for Flavius' statue, before pushing it over. The statue crashed to the ground loudly, and it was smashed to smithereens, with its pieces flying all across the room. "That is how his reign will end," Luxa swore, "with us toppling his regime."

"Leave the desecration of this place for next time, Luxa," Ripred told her, "we have a mission to accomplish."

Luxa nodded and rejoined the quest members, who were now looking at each other in confidence. The quest was now less than an hour away from completion. It was either eternal glory or eternal humiliation and disgrace for all of them.

Ripred turned to Cassandra. "I did warn you," he told her, advancing towards her.

"Lord Ripred, I didn't know! I HAD NO IDEA! PLEASE LORD RIPRED!" she screamed.

Ripred just looked very amused. "I'll spare your wretched life, but on one condition. You bring us to the base of operations NOW," he ordered her, "No more detours. No more obstacles. This ends today."

"Yes, Lord Ripred," Cassandra promised, "it's near. Follow me."

She led them down a series of yet more complicated turns, before they entered an enormous atrium double the size of the previous atrium, with at least five levels excluding the ground level. The atrium was notably empty, with not a single fox in sight. It was yet another brilliant sight. "The base of operations," Cassandra presented, bowing slightly.

"This place looks amazing. But where are the schemers?" Ripred asked.

"I'm glad you asked that question, Lord Ripred," a voice boomed. Ripred looked up to see Brutus on the second level looking down on them. "A job well done, Cassandra," Brutus nodded to the fox, who slyly slid away and took her place next to Brutus. The high general then howled, and then a hundred foxes appeared on the same level as him and the quest members.

"A hundred schemers? Is that the best you've got, general?" Ripred asked confidently.

"Yet another fine question, Lord Ripred," Brutus smiled, and now every level above them was filled with foxes. Even the foxes on the ground level had to compact together, such was the overwhelming number of foxes. Calvin's estimating was usually bad, but this was definitely more than a thousand foxes. They swarmed the atrium, looking at the quest members hungrily. Could they take a hundred foxes? Definitely. Half a thousand? Maybe. But over a thousand? It was beyond impossible. There was just sixteen quest members to fight a whole army of foxes.

"A trap designed by the traitor, no doubt," Ripred spat, "but I've got one more question before we settle things physically. Where is Flavius?"

That was when Calvin heard the cold, ominous laughter slowly entering into earshot. The slow laughter soon picked up speed, and it was the most evil laugh Calvin had ever heard. He could hear the madness, the cruelty, the malice, all in that laugh. It was the first laugh in Calvin's life that made his blood run cold.

And then came the smooth, velvety voice, "I've been waiting a very, very long time for this."

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please remember to review my story as it truly means a lot to me. Thank you to all who reviewed my previous chapter, and I hope you continue to show your support for me by reviewing this chapter as well. **

**I had some interesting plans on how to reveal Flavius, and I've finally decided to choose one. I hope you're not disappointed by my choice on how to reveal Flavius, and although I've made my life supremely difficult by attempting to write that scene, I hope it pays off. Nevertheless, here is a reminder to review my chapter! It helps me to improve so as we wind down to the final few chapters, I won't mess up.**

**Anyway, I'm proud to announce an achievement: I've smashed the 100k word barrier! It feels fantastic to do so! I can't believe I've written so much. Have a good day!**

**Question: What will Calvin's reaction to Flavius' appearance be like?**


	27. Chapter 27: One and the Same

**Hi Guys! Lots of thanks for all the reviews that have come in. Thank you to Thiazzie, MythologyBookworm and IMightWriteAFanfic for being a constant pillar of support, and I hope you guys continue to review every chapter all the way till the end! Moreover, I hope other people reading my story will review it as well!**

**Thiazzie, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter as much as I did writing it. I'm glad you thought of it as the best chapter, but hopefully there is better to come.**

**MythologyBookworm, yes, there is going to be a sequel with Gregor in it, but only if I get enough support to continue this series in the first place. So please continue to offer your support and review my work.**

**IMightWriteAFanfic, I love your suggestion to create a bond between Calvin and his guns(the names of his guns), and although I think it's a bit too late to include this in THIS story, I'm definitely going to incorporate that into my next story. Again, that is given I have enough support to resume the trilogy in the first place, so please continue your support.**

**On a separate note, I apologise for phrasing my question for the previous chapter so badly. I promise this chapter's question will be much better.**

**Anyway, this is Chapter 27. The MAIN focus of this chapter is to clear up the plot holes and to clarify important plot details, so that all of you understand what's going on behind the scenes. This chapter won't have much action in it, but the next chapter will. I'll be revealing who the traitor is, so please please please let me know your thoughts about this chapter, especially your thoughts about the traitor. Here goes!**

**Chapter 27: One and the Same**

Everybody whirled around to see the foxes beginning to step aside and create a pathway for Flavius to enter. It was like the parting of the Red Sea. They all stood to attention, while beginning a slow chant of, "Flavius! Flavius! Flavius!" It looked like a gathering of religious fanatics summoning for their god to come down to earth.

Slowly but surely, the chant spread to all other levels, and even Brutus and Cassandra joined in the terrifying chant. The noise level got louder and louder, and Calvin was beginning to feel intimidated and out of his league. Even Lapblood and Luxa were showing signs of fear, with both of them tensing up. Only Ripred seemed to be indifferent to the whole scene, scratching the back of his head calmly and giving himself a little stretch.

The old rat noticed the trepidation on Calvin's face and nudged him, saying, "Don't show them that you're scared, Overlander. You are our advantage in this battle. If there's a time for your shooting to be accurate, it's now. Don't let the schemers get to your head."

"We're surrounded by thousands of schemers! We honestly don't stand a chance against them. We've walked right into a trap. I think I have the right to be fearful," Calvin replied fiercely.

"Regalia's best soldiers are standing side-by-side here. We'll match the schemers blow for blow. Don't chicken out now, Calvin," Ripred responded.

Calvin turned back to face the tunnel where he saw Flavius' shadow approaching. "Do we kill him as fast as possible?" he asked Ripred.

"Yes," Ripred answered, "although you leave this part to me first. Even if he's a rager like everybody claims, I can still fight him head on. If I don't make it, you finish him off at the first opportunity you get. Channel your rage into killing that son of a bitch."

Calvin then returned to facing the shadowy tunnels, as Flavius grandly and slowly made his appearance. The chanting got even louder, and some foxes threw their bodies prostrate on the floor, looking like a group of grovelling fools. "You know," Ripred remarked, "for a bunch of supposedly the most intelligent organisms in the Underland, they've been hoodwinked pretty badly. They've just been downright manipulated right from the very start."

And then, as the foxes erupted into a large, deafening cheer, Flavius stepped into view. He was a massive fox, maybe slightly larger than Brutus. Now that Calvin thought about it, Murellus was about the same size, but while the former Captain of the Guard was always hunched, Flavius was standing up straight, revealing his titanic size. His teeth were somehow a brilliant white, and even looked like they had been sharpened for him. His muscles were well-toned, and his fur had been groomed very well, with his bright-red fur standing up.

The only thing that didn't seem to add up to his appearance was his eyes. When Flavius had battled with Mr Carter, his eyes were a venomous yellow. Flavius' eyes here were a bright green, and Calvin had this uncanny feeling that something was not right about Flavius. Most interesting of all were the emotions in Flavius' eyes. While his voice had radiated with power, cruelty and confidence, his eyes seemed to betray his true emotions. He actually looked nervous and restless.

When he spoke, he didn't have that same, low baritone which he had when he had spoken before. It sounded like a forced attempt to be low and smooth, but it actually came out very awkward. "Ripred," Flavius said with a smile on his face, "the pleasure is all mine."

Something was wrong. Calvin was absolutely sure of it. The way Flavius looked, talked and behaved- there was something really, really wrong. If Ripred had detected the same problem with Flavius' demeanour, then he showed no signs of it.

"I hear rumours that you are a rager, King Flavius," Ripred snarled at him, "perhaps you'd like to prove those rumours."

Calvin now saw fear in Flavius' eyes, but his voice didn't reveal any signs of fear and nervousness. "Oh, I'll prove those rumours, starting by presenting Regalia with your corpse," Flavius growled.

Without warning, Ripred hurled himself at Flavius, and both of them began to fight. Some of the foxes were edging forward, eager to join in the battle and tear Ripred to pieces, but for some reason, they were held back by their comrades. Lapblood also wanted to join the battle, but Luxa held her back. "Let him handle Flavius," she told Lapblood.

In all honesty, while Calvin would have liked to describe their fight as epic, it was anything but epic. It was quite one-sided. Ripred was way too fast, intelligent and strong for Flavius. Flavius was a very competent and decent fighter, but he was no match for Ripred. Ripred was making a fool out of him.

Within the first ten seconds, Ripred had already drawn blood from Flavius' face, and with half a minute, Ripred had delivered a crucial blow to Flavius' hamstring, tearing it up and leaving the king of the foxes hobbling. Flavius was now fighting erratically and wildly fighting, swiping desperately at Ripred.

The old rat evaded Flavius' attacks with ease and struck back with ferocity, slashing and biting into him all over the place. Finally, with Flavius reeling back in pain, Ripred slammed him on the ground. "Go to hell," he said to the fox, before biting down and twisting, breaking Flavius' neck. Flavius died silently, and Ripred bit down into his neck again and hurled his body at the foxes.

"Here is your rager king!" Ripred yelled at them, "Your king is no match for any of us. Surrender, Brutus. It's all over. You king is dead!"

Brutus started to laugh, and soon cacophonous laughter from the foxes engulfed the atrium. Ripred stared up at the cackling foxes. "Do you laugh because you have surrendered? Do you laugh because you accept your defeat? Your king was nothing!" he taunted them.

Brutus, shook his head still laughing away. "My dear Lord Ripred, it's far from over," he replied.

Another laugh boomed across the atrium, as a fox looking almost identical to the deceased Flavius emerged. But Calvin felt his heart fall through the hole as the fox emerged. The entire group stumbled back in surprise at the sight before their eyes. "It cannot be," Lapblood breathed.

"But it is," Murellus grinned, as he revealed his entire body. This wasn't the Murellus Calvin knew. The Murellus he knew was dishevelled, dirty, with tufts of his fur sticking out. That Murellus also had light brown fur and his voice was hoarse and raspy. That Murellus was hunched and looked defeated.

The Murellus standing in front of him now looked completely different. For one, he now looked significantly larger by standing up straight, and his teeth, instead of being chipped and dirty, were now a gleaming white. Instead of the light brown fur, he had reddish-brown fur, with a white underbelly. His fur was nicely groomed, and he actually looked impressive rather than pathetic. It couldn't be him. It just couldn't be. But Murellus had very distinct as well as easily distinguishable facial features, and they could all recognise it from a distance.

"Murellus," Calvin said out loud, unable to believe his eyes. Murellus was dead. He had seen the fox fall into the rapids and die with Aelius. Coincidentally, at that very instant, Aelius appeared in the crowd of schemers, looking down on them with a cruel grin.

"Don't call me by that silly name anymore," the old fox insisted in that familiar velvety voice that Calvin had heard before, back when Mr Carter was fighting… oh. Oh.

That's why those yellow eyes looked so familiar. Calvin had always been under the impression that most foxes had yellow eyes, with the exception of some of them who had brown, blue and even green eyes. The old fox had been able to conceal the malice, madness and hunger in his yellow eyes back when they were travelling together. But he was revealing it all now.

"Murellus and I am one and the same. I am King Flavius," the fox said, rearing up to his full height. The foxes broke into a raucous cheer at the mention of his name. Calvin could only take a step back in horror. _Murellus is Flavius_, he kept telling himself, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe it. That the friend who had sacrificed himself to save Calvin's life, that the friend he had mourned and grieved for, that the friend that he had even honoured, was the monster behind all the chaos in the Underland.

"I had a gut feeling that it was you," Ripred snarled, "even if NOBODY expected it. You were the traitor all this while."

"Technically, I'm not a traitor if I was on the same side all along," Flavius pointed out with a smile, "but yes, I fooled all of you. Including you, Lord Ripred, even if you'll refuse to admit it. I had the king and queen fooled, I had Lapblood fooled, I had Queen Nike fooled, and of course, I had even our dear Overlander fooled," he said, winking at Calvin.

Calvin lost his cool. He pulled out his gun and fired a bullet at Flavius. But the fox was faster than Calvin had ever seen. He evaded the bullet and even caught it in mid-air with his claws. He observed it with some interest, before flicking it aside. "A good attempt, Calvin," he goaded, "but you were always one step behind."

Calvin attempted to fire another bullet at Flavius, but Ripred pushed his arm down. "Not now, Calvin," he said to him, before turning to Flavius, saying, "So the rumours are true. You are a rager after all."

Flavius smiled. "Indeed I am," he confirmed, "the body-double you fought earlier was obviously not a rager, which is why you killed him. Not that his death is a problem, of course. I no longer have any need for him. And just so you know, the only reason why you never caught me or found me out was that I never divulged any information to my armies. This was a plan long in the making, and a plan which we pulled off to perfection."

"Explain," Ripred growled, "before I rip your guts out, explain how your plan worked. I am genuinely curious how you pulled it off."

"I'm glad you asked," Flavius responded with a smile, "and it all began with a decision I made. That decision was to infiltrate your city myself, with the reason being very simple. I am the only rager in my armies, and in order to fight you all effectively, I needed to know how your dynamics worked as a team. Which is why throughout my stay, I was only observing."

"So this was the ultimate goal," he explained, "My job was to isolate your strongest fighters and leaders and finish them off, before proceeding to finish off the rest of the city. I would pretend to defect to your side and I was the one who planted the idea of having a quest with the best soldiers and leaders in order to stop you all, while my generals would increase the fright factor by threatening a siege on you all."

"It is important to note that we never, ever had a weapon of mass destruction in our hands. But we thought it was necessary to create that idea to bring down the only Overlander conscious of our allies' plans," Flavius rationalised.

"Who are your allies?" Ripred asked.

Flavius smiled, "At this point in time, we have no need for them. But in case we failed, they would step into the picture for us and assist us. Their motivation for destroying Regalia is much different from ours, but since we shared a common goal, we allied, and I adhered to some conditions and suggestions."

"You didn't answer the question," Ripred growled.

"Because there is no need to. They aren't important, and I'd like to keep their identity confidential, in case it is accidentally leaked out. All you need to know is that they offered us some assistance and advice, and we accepted some of their assistance and advice. Part of their advice was to lure him down," Flavius explained, looking at Calvin. Calvin gritted his teeth but forced himself to ignore the temptation of putting a bullet in Flavius' head.

Flavius cleared his throat and carried on, "In fear of being revealed, I only told some schemers of my plan to infiltrate your city. My servants and allies helped to change my appearance, whether it was altering my fur colour or my appearance. I also intentionally made my voice raspy instead of my usual voice, in case someone recognised me or if it became too obvious who I was. My allies also helped to create the alias of Murellus, and on that day my false identity was born."

"Meanwhile," he continued, "my generals began their assault on the Underland. My purpose for its destruction has already been disclosed to you in the war council, so I shan't waste any time on describing it. By ravaging some of the peripheral colonies on the outskirts of the Underland you know, we brought ourselves back into your attention. The extinction of the cutters was just a message of fear being sent to the Underland."

"How did you exterminate all of them?" Ripred asked, and Calvin could hear a tinge of respect in the rat's voice.

"This story isn't important for you to know. All that you need to know is that it involved some fire, poison and collapsed tunnels as well as disciplined fighting," Flavius said with a smirk.

"Carrying on with the main details, before portraying myself as a schemer willing to help you with all his heart, I tricked you, Lord Ripred, into thinking I was going for the boy. So you went up there as a warning to Mr Melvin Carter of my involvement. So I followed Mr Melvin Carter, with my plan being to kill him in order to motivate Calvin into going to the Underland and being taken in by Ripred. Unfortunately, I failed to kill him and even received a painful bullet to my shoulder. Which, by the way Calvin, explains why Murellus had a shoulder injury. You were so naïve to believe me when I said I was abused by Flavius when I was young," Flavius said with a chuckle.

Calvin nearly flared up in anger, but once again, he remained patient and refused to give in to the temptation of shooting Flavius.

Flavius went on, "I then joined your city as an informant and as a refugee, and although I failed to earn your sympathy, I gained trust from the information I shared. Some of the information I shared was lies, but you all just gobbled them up anyway because you wanted to believe what I had said. You wanted to believe that a quest was necessary to stop me. So you took in all the lies, and coupled with some information I told you which was true, you all believed me even more."

"In the mean time," Flavius continued, "I had Ripred and the Overlander meet High General Brutus, so as to convince all of you that the threat we posed was real and an attack was imminent. I also played on the fact that Calvin would reveal to everybody how dangerous the missiles were. That would ultimately be the final push through the door for the council to choose a quest for its best fighters."

"In case everybody was still not convinced, I told Brutus beforehand to pretend like he knew you all had decided on a quest. That purpose of that action was twofold. Firstly, it would ironically act as an even greater motivation for you to go on the quest seeing as you had no other choice but to stay and wait for your death by missiles. Secondly, I deduced Ripred, or maybe Mareth would suspect me as a traitor and attack me for it. But since Luxa and her guards had been watching me the whole time, it would mean I couldn't possibly be the traitor, winning me sympathy points, especially from him," Flavius said, gesturing at Calvin again.

"The only part I hadn't expected was Ripred's surprise omission from the quest, but I had a feeling he would follow the quest. He probably couldn't resist. It was an added bonus for Queen Luxa and King Conrad to tag along with him as well, since that means I can dispose of Regalia's royalty now as well," Flavius said smugly.

"And so the journey began. I already had some schemers disturb the waters by awakening the squids and the serpents, making them swim upstream and encounter you all. It was a test of your strength as a team, and it also acted as a platform for casualties. But you all surprised me by surviving it," Flavius admitted grudgingly.

"I also ordered Brutus to release packs of schemers slowly but surely to join on the mission to hunt you all down, once again to test your team dynamics as well as create a platform for casualties," Flavius explained.

"However, I nearly jeopardised my entire plan on the night we reached the nibbler colony," he went on, "I drugged all of you so that I could use that period to communicate with Aelius and discuss a plan with him about how we were going to handle you the next day. I deliberately kept all of you alive because Ripred was following along, and I wanted your lives to be an incentive to continue following us in the hope he would join us in the final trap."

"Unfortunately for me," Flavius said through gritted teeth, "I forgot the nibblers hadn't eaten the drugged food, so they saw me have the discussion with Aelius. I had no choice but to silence them. I framed their suicide, while in reality, I killed them and burned their bodies so as to burn the evidence of my murders."

With a deep sigh, he continued, "But I had not foreseen that Arthur had not eaten the drugged food as well. He caught me committing the whole act, so I killed him too, this time framing him as being seduced by the charm of the carnivorous plant, and placing him in it, so that the acid would wipe away the evidence of my murder as well."

"In conclusion for this incident, I suggested the presence of a traitor, which was meant to draw attention away from myself through reverse psychology. Eventually, though, I never saw whether my reverse psychology worked. We were soon on the run from the schemer packs," Flavius recounted.

"That was where I planned two scenarios. The first was for all of you to die on the beach fighting the schemers, something which could have happened had the Overlander not displayed his prowess at shooting. The second scenario was if we were beaten back into retreat. In that case, I had pre-planned with Aelius to fake my own death, and I did so while winning the ultimate sympathy from all of you while preying on the Overlander's natural feeling of guilt. Aelius and I held our breath while flowing down the rapids, where there was a pack of schemers ready to pick us up," Flavius said arrogantly.

"Finally, I purposely let you all find Cassandra, so that she would lead you here, where my army was waiting for you. The purpose of the body-double of me was to analyse Ripred's fighting skills. Now I have that insight when we do battle soon," Flavius concluded triumphantly.

It was a long and complex plan, one which made Calvin's head spin with confusion, but the important point was that Flavius had fooled all of them, and they had played right into his hands foolishly. And here they were, ready for a last stand against Flavius' armies.

"You know, despite how much of a scumbag you are and despite how over-complicated your plan is," Ripred snarled, "I have to admit you got pretty good results. We're all standing here, right where you want us to be, and we are hopelessly outnumbered."

Flavius nodded as well. "This is precisely what I have been waiting for. All of you standing here, helpless, waiting to be completely overrun by my armies. And I will have completed my lifelong dream of destroying Regalia, something my forefathers could never achieve."

With that, an eerie silence descended on the atrium. None of the foxes dared to speak, while Calvin said a silent prayer. He had nothing left to lose, and everything to fight for. Ripred closed his eyes, and Calvin suspected he was thinking about his mate and pups. It was now make or break.

The silence continued for a little while more. And in a voice barely audible, Flavius said, "Kill them."

**Did you see that coming?**

**There's my fourth last chapter! Thank you for all the continued support for my story, and I hope you guys can give me more reviews in the lead-up to the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as it was less focused on action and more focused on providing details to clear up all the plot holes in my story. The unravelling of Flavius' plan was essential to capping off this story, and I hope you understand.**

**Question: Who will die and who will live in this final battle? Leave me with the best guesses you can give!**


	28. Chapter 28: The Gunner

**Hi Guys! I'm very glad about the reviews that have come in, with the previous chapter being about the plot twist involving Flavius. So I'd like to thank Bobb Wells for reviewing my work for the first time, and I urge you to continue reviewing the remainder of my story! Yes, there will be Gregor in the next story, by the way, if I continue it.**

**Thanks goes to IMightWriteAFanfic and MythologyBookworm for their reviews. MythologyBookworm, I'm glad that you have begun to consistently review my chapters and I hope you continue to. And IMightWriteAFanfic, thank you for being my most constant source of support throughout this journey. Thank you to a guest reader as well for reviewing my chapter.**

**Finally, thanks goes to haha77 for reviewing both chapter 25 and 26. I hope you continue to review my story and my heartfelt thanks goes to you.**

**This chapter is where the quest truly ends. This IS the final battle, so I've put in extra effort for this, and I hope you guys can appreciate it by reviewing my work. For those who have never reviewed my story yet, I urge you to at least review this chapter because I poured as much of my soul into it as possible.**

**Here is Chapter 28, ladies and gentleman!**

**Chapter 28: The Gunner**

The foxes on their level attacked first, rushing towards them hungrily. "GIVE THEM HELL!" Ripred roared as all the quest members drew out their weapons and began the battle. Ripred, as usual, found himself being targeted the most, but Luxa and Conrad found themselves under heavy attack as well. With a loud battle cry himself, Calvin yanked out both pistols and began shooting.

"For Regalia!" Conrad yelled as he leapt onto Dionysus, and the pair flew upwards, attacking the foxes on the upper levels. Calvin noticed a fox attempting to leap up and latch onto Dionysus' wing, but he quickly shot it in the head. He then turned around and found three foxes rushing towards him, but with his deadly aim at its all-time best, he took down two foxes with quick shots to the head, before kicking the last fox in the jaw and sending it flying backwards.

Yet another fox hurled itself at him, but he swung his pistol, hitting in the face with the gun before using his other pistol to shoot it in the face. He found a fox hurtling down towards him from one of the upper levels. He quickly sidestepped the incoming fox, resulting in the fox smashing its face into the ground and breaking its skull.

He turned again to find another wave of about half a dozen foxes surging towards him. Cursing he shot the two foxes closest to him in the head, before rolling away as they converged on him. Instead of crunching into Calvin, they crashed headfirst into each other, leaving them dazed. Calvin didn't spare them any mercy. He fired bullets into each and everyone of their heads.

A large fox came charging towards him, and Calvin raised his gun to shoot at it. However, all that came out was an empty click. he had run out of bullets again. This time, he was much more quick-thinking. He pretended to fire a bullet, causing the fox to flinch. Calvin then swung his foot, catching it straight in the jaw and sending it stumbling back in pain. Calvin then capitalised in that extra bit of time and space to reload his gun. As the fox came rushing back towards him, Calvin aimed and fired, putting a bullet right in the middle of its forehead, and that was that.

He took a deep breath. He was barely given any time to breathe. Once again, another wave of foxes began making their way toward him. It seemed for every fox he killed, three or four more of them took its place. They began in a slow trot towards him from distance, not realising the range of his gun. He took two down straight in the head before blowing off the ear of the other one.

Calvin looked around to see if he could help any of his friends. Much to his surprise, they were holding out well. Luxa had mounted Aurora and had joined Conrad in battling the foxes on the upper levels, while Ripred was a blur on the ground floor, slashing through fox after fox. Flyfur and Sixclaw had combined to devastating effect, fighting hordes of foxes all on their own. Flyfur seemed to distract them while Sixclaw delivered the killing blows. Their chemistry was absolutely incredible.

Fox after fox charged at him for the next few minutes, although they were thankfully all coming alone, allowing Calvin to finish them faster. A fox from the level just above him leapt at him, but Calvin had been preparing for that as well. Just at the moment the fox opened its jaws, Calvin turned and fired at its mouth before moving aside, allowing the body to crash into another fox who was running towards Calvin.

Just then, Calvin noticed Flavius with his back facing him, observing the battle with great amusement. He hadn't turned to face Calvin yet. This was Calvin's big opportunity. Raising his pistols he fired a stream of bullets at the back of Flavius' head.

Calvin saw the whole scene unfold in slow motion. The bullets rippled through the air moving closer and closer to his head. As they neared the last two or three metres, Calvin was absolutely sure they were going to hit his head. That was it. The battle was finished. Flavius' death would disrupt the foxes and it would be all over. All it took was one more second.

But the bullets never thudded into the back of his head. In what must have been literally the last millisecond possible, a random fox hurled itself in front of Flavius, taking the bullet in the head for Flavius. The king turned around in surprise and found Calvin staring at him in shock. He then looked down at the dead fox at his feet and realised what had happened. He just looked back up at Calvin and smiled, while fixing his steely gaze on him.

Cursing away to himself, Calvin ducked as a fox hurled itself at him, and he turned around to shoot it, hitting it in the back of its head. He then charged towards another onrushing fox, and slid between its legs in the last possible second. he then looked up at fired two bullets in its chest, killing it. He slid out underneath it and found himself staring at a fox right in front of him. He maintained his composure and lodged a bullet in its head from point blank range.

"Make way!" he heard Ripred yell. He turned to see Erik and Lapblood clearing some space in the middle of the atrium, where Ripred directly positioned himself. "COME ON!" he provoked the foxes, "IS THAT ALL YOU CAN GIVE ME?"

Hordes upon hordes of foxes now hurled themselves at Ripred, and in the last few seconds before they attacked him, Calvin saw Ripred grin with delight. In the last few moments before dozens of foxes descended on him, Ripred broke into a spin. Calvin couldn't even see what was going on. Ripred was moving far too fast for Calvin to even see his movements.

All Calvin could definitely see was blood flying all over the place, and dead foxes being thrown all over the place. Any fox that got within a two metre radius of Ripred was slaughtered and battered away. The lucky foxes were those that were severely injured but still alive. It was one of the most lethal moves Calvin had seen anybody pull off.

"The rager spin," Lapblood breathed in awe. So that's what Ripred's move was called. A move that must have been exclusive to ragers. And boy was it effective. Ripred looked like he barely had a scratch on him, but he became the ultimate killing machine. What looked like a hundred foxes had just been brutally killed by him.

Calvin decided to try his own version of the rager spin. Loading both pistols full of bullets, he waited for a number of foxes to head at him from all directions. He waited, and waited, and waited until they were entering the final few metres. And then, clicking his heels together, he began to spin wildly, firing his gun at will.

He spun faster and faster, but he did not let that deter him. He continued to pull the trigger multiple times, and occasionally, as he was spinning, he could see foxes collapsing in front of him, their blood fanning out over the atrium floor. He heard thumping noises, and assumed that was the sound of foxes falling to the ground. Finally, out of sheer dizziness, he stumbled out of position, and slipped on the blood which was now all over the floor.

He landed on his rear end, winced in pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw a whole pile of fox bodies riddled with bullet holes. His experimentation with the spin had gone absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, he had no time to admire his own work. A middle-sized fox crashed into him, knocking the guns out of his hands. It then reared up to deliver a bite on his throat. But Calvin was thinking ahead. He had already pulled out his knife and he stabbed it upwards, with the blade going right into the heart of the fox. The fox fell back in shock, and Calvin twisted the knife brutally to kill it.

He then pulled the knife out of its body, only to see a fox rushing towards Lapblood's back. There was no time to alert Lapblood. Saying a quick prayer, he hurled his knife at the fox, which he had practised with Mr Carter a while ago. The blade spun through the air, and embedded itself in the head of the fox, killing it just before it pounced on Lapblood.

Calvin didn't bother waiting for Lapblood to thank him. He had no weapon and needed to get one immediately, before it was far too late and a fox killed him. He turned to look for his pistols, and found them lying on the floor just a few metres away. However, he also noticed a fox heading right for them. He immediately began sprinting towards it, but there was no way he was going to get to the pistols in time. The fox was already extremely close to them. He had to find some way of improvising.

Instead of choosing to run towards the pistol, he tweaked the direction in which he was running in and headed for the fox instead. Just as the fox was about to clamp into the pistol, he threw himself at it, driving his knee into its side and causing it to yelp in pain. While the fox writhed on the ground in pain, Calvin then dove for his pistols. He picked them up and did a roll before turning his body around as he jumped up. He found the fox rushing towards him, and finished it with one bullet to the chest and one bullet to the neck.

Hecate flew down and landed next to him. "Let's give them everything we've got together," she said to him. Nodding, he leapt onto her back and she began to fly upwards. Foxes on the ground level hurled themselves up at her, but Calvin shot at them, killing most of the foxes which had attempted to attack her in mid-flight.

As Hecate flew upwards, foxes on all other levels leapt off their floor at them. With the same determined mentality as before, Calvin killed any fox that leapt towards Hecate by burying a bullet in their skulls, killing them instantly. Some that leapt at them failed to even get close and fell to their deaths, but Calvin remained vigilant. For intelligent creatures, their fighting skills were a bit below par.

As Hecate continued her flight upwards, less foxes made an attempt to leap at them, although Calvin used the opportunity to open fire at them from range as she flew up. They were completely helpless, and with Calvin shooting at them from distance, all they could do was try to dodge the bullets, but even then they were so clustered together that at least one fox was bound to get hit.

On their way up, Calvin saw Luxa and Conrad engaging the foxes fiercely. They kept diving towards certain levels, swiping at the foxes with their swords. Dionysus and Aurora were also expert fliers, and they could twist, turn, as well as move in and out easily. They constantly bombarded the foxes before flying off in retreat. Calvin then saw Conrad even leap off Dionysus and land next to the foxes, attacking them and catching them by surprise.

That gave him an idea. As Hecate reached the ceiling, he told her, "Let me drop from here. Then catch me just before I reach the ground. Trust me on this."

Hecate looked extremely uneasy. "Many things could go wrong with this," she warned him.

"I know," Calvin replied confidently, "but I trust you too. Let's do this."

Hecate took in a deep breath and nodded shakily. "Ok. Go kill some schemers."

Calvin felt his pulse begin to race as he looked down. It was a long drop, and Hecate was right. A lot of things could go wrong. But if he could pull off this stunt, he could hit a good number of foxes. His stomach began to do somersaults, but he pushed it all to the back of his head. "Let's do this shit," he whispered aloud to himself. And then he fell off Hecate's back.

He felt the air rush past his face, and now his heart was well and truly hammering against his chest. But he had a job to do. Turning his back, he found dozens of foxes making the stupid decision of leaping at him as he plummeted towards the floor. Raising his arms, he began to shoot at them, killing some of them on the way down.

Time slowed almost to a standstill, he was vaguely aware that he was now dangerously close to hitting the ground. He could see Hecate zooming down to cover him, and he decided to put his faith completely in her, even for the last few seconds. He just concentrated on killing as many foxes as possible. They were dropping from different levels, all with the sole purpose of killing Calvin. Calvin didn't care. He just shot at every single one of them possible.

Just as he thought he was going to hit the ground, he felt himself thud against the firm, furry back of Hecate. It knocked the wind out of him, but he still had strength to twist his body to wrap his legs around Hecate as she soared back up. Calvin looked down to see half a hundred foxes scream as they collided headfirst into the ground.

He looked up. There were still too many foxes around. Of course, many had fallen, but that in the end was just a fraction of Flavius' forces. He heard Ripred shout out loud, "QUESTERS! RALLY TO ME!"

Hecate swooped down and dropped Calvin off next to Ripred as all the other quest members, including Luxa and Conrad, returned to the middle of the atrium. With hordes of foxes running towards them, Ripred snarled, "Show them what we can do."

With a shrill battle cry from Lapblood, they attacked the foxes as well. Calvin could see everything going on. Flyfur jumping. Ripred spinning. Conrad swinging his sword. Aurora knocking foxes off their feet with her wings. Edward blocking an attack. Luxa flipping gracefully. Hecate lifting a fox off the ground. Lapblood slashing. Erik stabbing a fox. Hadrian throwing his sword. Sixclaw tearing two foxes down. Perseus breaking a fox's neck with his wings. Agamemnon wrapping his claws around another fox and breaking its neck as he flew through the air. Dionysus and Nike teaming up to bring down a wave of foxes attacking the group. Gnasher biting into a fox. Even Hero was plunging her sword into a fox's heart. And Calvin in the thick of the fighting as well, shooting at the foxes.

It was nothing short of epic, the way they were engaging the foxes. Not because they were killing so many of them, not because they were repelling Flavius' forces, but because they were fighting together, as one team. And the foxes had no chance while they were fighting like that. Even Flavius seemed to acknowledge that, as he watched on with a look of surprise on his face. Within a few minutes, all the foxes on the ground level had been decimated.

Ripred looked up to face Flavius. "If this is the best you can muster, then I'm afraid that we're done here."

Flavius looked down at Ripred. "I'm afraid we're not," he replied. He looked at Brutus, "Finish them."

Brutus nodded, and along with Cassandra, leapt down onto the second level. More foxes appeared, and these foxes appeared to be a notch higher than the ones the questers had just fought in terms of fighting skill. For one, they looked more battle-hardened and experienced. Two, they were appearing to be more wary and cautious, instead of rushing into battle without a plan.

Flavius himself advanced forward, ready to finish the job. "Kill them," he told Brutus. With a roar, Brutus led the charge at the quest members, with Flavius sauntering in behind his army slowly.

Calvin elbowed Lapblood lightly. "You run, I shoot," he reminded her. Lapblood nodded in response, and he jumped up onto her back. She immediately took off, but this time, she didn't just do the running. She was using her front claws to slash at the foxes which Calvin hadn't shot, as well as her teeth to attack foxes.

Calvin wrapped his legs tightly around Lapblood and began to open fire on either side, with Lapblood's blistering pace and Calvin's unerring aim combining towards an incisive assault on the foxes. Calvin realised that Lapblood was taking down all the enemies who were attacking her by her front, while he guarded her sides. He heard a fluttering sound behind him, and turned to find Hecate covering his back, knocking away all the foxes who were trying to sneak up on them from behind.

Lapblood rammed down fox after fox, with Calvin's shooting bringing down countless foxes as well. However, their seemingly unbreakable defence finally shattered when Calvin failed to spot a fox hurling itself at him. He had run out of luck this time. Only fate could save him now. The fox. He had turned just in time to see the fox a few metres from his face, and a few metres from ending Calvin's rollercoaster journey of life.

But it wasn't to be. Calvin felt two claws grip both his shoulders and lift him off Lapblood's back, with the fox jumping over Lapblood's back harmlessly. He looked up to see Hecate flying him above the battle. "Thanks Hecate!" he called out to her, "Drop me back on Lapblood please!"

Just as Hecate was about to respond, a fox threw itself into the air at her. Reacting in panic, Hecate did her best to throw Calvin onto Lapblood's back, while swerving away from the fox attack. Calvin found himself flipping through the air. There was no time for him to be alarmed and frightened. He could only try to make the best out of his current situation.

As time slowed down around him, Calvin adjusted his arms to aim at the foxes who had hungrily begun to gather around him. Calvin was falling upside-down, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting a few shots at the foxes. And that was precisely what he did, spiralling downwards towards the foxes, firing at them. His accuracy wasn't as flawless as before, but it did the job-it dispersed the foxes.

Calvin had no idea where Lapblood was as he fell through the air, but he figured that landing feet first on the ground would obviously be better than landing headfirst. He began to twist in mid-air such that he would land feet first. he continued to shoot at the foxes as he fell, driving them away…

… and somehow, by some kind of miracle, Calvin landed on Lapblood's back. Not that it was a perfect landing. Calvin could feel the full brunt of landing groin first on Lapblood, while he heard Lapblood grunting in pain on impact. Nevertheless, they both decided to push the pain to the back of their heads and continued to fight against the foxes.

The fighting had gotten more brutal and bloody. With the new batch of foxes being better fighters and most of the quest members starting to feel tired from the fighting, the foxes were pushing them hard, and Calvin saw that they were starting to crack.

Suddenly, Flavius stepped into his view. Calvin trained his guns on Flavius, but the fox was too fast. With speed that even Ripred could not replicate, he slammed into Lapblood and Calvin, sending Lapblood rolling in one direction and Calvin flying in the other direction, landing with a loud smack on the atrium floor. He tried to leap to his feet, but his back was hurt from the painful fall and he was exhausted beyond anything he had felt before. He could only look up as Flavius took his time to walk towards Calvin.

"Remember our little talks, Calvin?" Flavius gibed, "when we used to discuss about empathy, and purpose? About ruthlessness and cruelty? I just wanted to let you know, before your end, how much of a fool I thought you were during all those talks? Do you still believe in morality, Calvin? Do you still believe in it?"

"I'll always believe in it, no matter how much shit I get from a dirtbag like you," Calvin spat back.

Flavius smiled. "Still persevering to the end. Admirable, although ultimately foolish and futile. You're better off accepting the cold, hard truth."

Seconds before Flavius reached Calvin, Erik crashed into the fox, sending both of them sprawling across the floor. Erik stumbled to his feet immediately, and was about to attack Flavius when a fox jumped at him and sank its teeth into his left shoulder.

Erik cried out in pain, but still had enough strength to raise his sword and bring down a heavy blow on the fox's head, splitting its head clean open, with blood gushing out of the wound. He then kicked at the fox and sent it flying aside.

But that was all the distraction Flavius needed. The king leapt to his feet, bared his teeth and went for Erik's throat.

"ERIK!" Calvin cried out as a warning, but it was far too late. Flavius bit down on Calvin's throat, lifted up the soldier like a ragged doll, and threw him against the walls of the atrium. Erik's body slumped to the floor and he never got up again.

"YOU BASTARD!" Calvin roared, but he was still too weak to get to his feet. Flavius returned his attention to Calvin. "There's no need to holler-" he began, but now it was Ripred's turn to crash into him, and the old rat slammed him against the wall and pinned him there.

"This is the highlight of the show," Flavius laughed, and he threw Ripred off him, sending the old rat skidding across the floor.

Ripred looked up, and Calvin could see what appeared to be the rager instincts beginning to kick into Ripred. The rat's eyes became a little bit misty, and his muscles began to bulge as well as tense up. The same phenomenon was happening with Flavius, and both began to advance towards each other slowly.

It was Ripred who struck first, lashing out aggressively at Flavius with his claws, but Flavius was equal to it, blocking the attack easily. Ripred followed up with a series of complicating slashes and bites, all of which Flavius evaded. Ripred didn't stopped attacking with his jaw snapping at Flavius' flanks and his claws swinging all over the place, at one point even missing Flavius' eye by an inch.

Flavius, however, was more than a match for Ripred. He dodged most of the ferocious attacks with relative easy, before attempting to mount a counterattack. But Ripred, despite his age, was no pushover either. He batted Flavius' claws aside and continued to lash out at Flavius' weak spots.

Ripred's sustained assault was beginning to drain his energy though, and the rat immediately retreated for a slight breather. But Flavius wasn't going to give him this opportunity. Flavius hurled himself at Ripred, and both ragers began wrestling on the floor, with teeth being exposed and jaws snapping all over the place. Eventually, Ripred broke free from his grasp and rolled aside. Flavius backed off as well, panting heavily.

Both heard a dripping noise. Ripred looked behind to find that one of his hind legs was bleeding badly, with the blood dripping all over the floor. Amazingly, up to that moment, Ripred seemed unscathed, with not a single injury appearing on any other part of his body. Ripred looked up at Flavius, who was smiling evilly. "First blood goes to me," Flavius taunted with a grin.

Ripred grunted and launched yet another series of attacks which combined his use of teeth and claws, and with Flavius being caught slightly off-guard, the fox was forced to retreat quickly, until Ripred forced him into a corner, and maintained his vicious assault on Flavius, but Flavius defended brilliantly. Finally, both traded blows, with Ripred scratching Flavius' chin with his claws and Flavius reopening one of the criss-crossing scars on Ripred's face.

Ripred retreated, and brought his paw up to his face, feeling the warm blood trickling down from his scar. "Are you done, Lord Ripred? Are you finished? Have you gotten too old for this?" Flavius goaded him.

Ripred smiled in return. "I don't get pissed that easily," he chuckled, and unleashed the fastest attack Calvin had ever seen. But Flavius had been waiting for it. He blocked the attack, and countered with a fierce lunge, but Ripred had seen that coming as well. His powerful snipe tore a hole in Flavius' left ear, forcing the fox into retreat as well.

Flavius was about to say something, but then grimaced in pain. Flavius was hurt. Flavius was actually hurt. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and said, "Let's finish this dance, shall we?'

Both ragers attacked each other simultaneously now, and had now entered full rager mode, with Calvin unable to see what was going on through the furious fighting. Both appeared as a blur to him, and he had a slight feeling of hope when he saw Ripred's front teeth brimming bright red with blood.

But then he heard Ripred yelp in pain, and the old rat was thrown across the atrium. He slammed against the wall and tried to struggle to his feet, but he couldn't. Ripred was now definitely defeated. His right flank was bleeding heavily, and Calvin could see why. Flavius had opened up a large wound on that area, and blood had begun to seep out of it.

Flavius had not escaped the fight unharmed, though. His chin was bleeding and his left ear was dangling slightly, but that wasn't the end of the story. His front right paw was bleeding intensely with tooth marks all over it, while his tail was covered in blood as well. But he had succeeded against Ripred. The old rat couldn't even stand on his feet.

Calvin looked around, and saw despair on everyone's faces. Ripred's fall signified the end of the fight they had put up. Luxa's right arm had a large cut and was bleeding, while Conrad lay unconscious on the floor with a big gash on his forehead. Lapblood had a big bruise on her cheek, while Edward was being pinned to the ground by Brutus. Most of the bats had been surrounded, while Hadrian was lying cross-eyed on the floor. Calvin didn't even know if he was still alive.

He could have cited countless more examples of how the quest members had been defeated, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that the quest was over, and it had ended in defeat. Flavius turned to face Calvin triumphantly. "My entire life has built up to this moment," he gloated, "with my enemies all lying aroud me, dead or defeated. This is how it ends, Calvin. With all your friends dead, and with you failing to emulate the success of the Warrior. Your legacy will be defeat."

Flavius then turned to Cassandra. "For your fantastic effort, you get to begin by killing the Overlander. I want to savour the look in his eyes when he realises how pointless it was coming down here." Cassandra nodded gratefully to Flavius, and walked towards Calvin, licking her lips.

That was it. It was all over for Calvin. All those obstacles had had overcome, all the decisions he had made, all the friendships he had forged all added up to nothing. In the end, he would die by the jaws of a fox anyway. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. To be completely honest, Calvin was afraid to die, and this time, he knew fate couldn't give him a chance to escape. Worst of all, he had let his father down. He hadn't lived long enough to ensure Regalia's safety and do his father's bidding, or fulfil his father's wishes. All he could think about as his executioner came closer and closer, was how much his father loved him…

And just when all forms of hope seemed lost, he saw Hero rush up towards Cassandra with a package in her hand. She lifted her sword and drove it through Cassandra's eye, catching the fox by surprise and killing her on the spot. "CALVIN!" she screamed at him, throwing him the package.

As the package flew through the air, Calvin saw what it was, and understood what this meant. That package was his backpack, which he had forgotten all about. And inside that backpack was exactly what he needed. His Uzi. His last flicker of hope. The special weapon Ripred and Lapblood had warned him to hide countless times. This was what it all boiled down to. Him and his Uzi. In the end, he was going to be the last standing form of hope amongst all his friends.

Everything he had lived for, all for this minute. Fail, and he would have let down an entire civilization. Succeed, and his job here would be fulfilled and he would have done something he could have only dreamed of. He would save his friends when it mattered most.

He remembered Nerissa's words all those nights ago, "_Hope is perhaps the greatest tool we have in our darkest moments. For when all hope is lost, then truly we have lost everything._" She was absolutely right. And Calvin knew that he hadn't lost all hope yet. For the sake of his friends, he would have to keep hope alive. It was now or never

The backpack landed at his feet. He pulled out the Uzi, and just before he opened fire, he said to Flavius, "I'm the Gunner, not the Warrior. And that's my legacy." And then he pulled the trigger and unleashed hell all over the atrium.

Foxes all screamed hysterically as they fell by the dozens. The bullets from the Uzi tore through their flesh and sent blood spurting out all over the place. The hail of bullets hit their eyes, their ears, their snouts, their necks, their chests, their limbs… everywhere. Even Flavius couldn't escape it. Although he flipped through the air to evade the bullets, two in particular hit the right side of his cheek, shattering the entire right side of his skull.

Flavius screamed in pain as the right side of his face virtually began to collapse inwards. Calvin would have continued to shoot at him, but he had run out of ammunition. The damage had been done, though. Flavius' was now mortally injured and his face was completely ruined. He actually looked grotesque.

All around him lay dying or dead foxes. At least half of their force had just collapsed under the heavy fire of the Uzi. Brutus was lucky to be still alive, and he backed off tentatively. The remaining foxes still alive all retreated behind Brutus, cowering in fear. Calvin aimed his Uzi at Flavius. Although there was no more bullets, he was still going to use it as a threat.

"KILL HIM!" Ripred bellowed at Calvin, but Calvin shook his head.

"No, Ripred," he replied. "Too much innocent blood has been spilt on his behalf. It's time we stop that bloodshed."

Calvin then trained his weapon on Flavius. "I'm giving you a chance to live, Flavius. I will eternally hate you for what you've done, but I'm still giving you this chance. Give the command for your soldiers to retreat from our Underland territory now, and give me and my companions a safe passage out of your lands. Then I will let you live instead of finishing your miserable life right here and now."

"I'd rather die," Flavius spat, but it came out all garbled due to his shattered jaw.

"No, you wouldn't. I know you. This is your last chance. Pull your troops out of our territory and give us safe passage out of here. I will let you live to fight another day. Does that sound enticing enough?" Calvin asked.

"Your Majesty," Brutus spoke up, "Surely you are not considering his offer, are you? It would put all our plans that we had to waste, and set us back…"

"Enough," Flavius growled, and Brutus shut up instantly, "Look at us right now. We are in no condition to do any bargaining. Send the message to Gaius, Lucius and Severus to retreat. Our campaign temporarily ends here."

Flavius then turned to look at Calvin. "Your deal is done," Flavius snarled.

"And about our safe passage out?" Calvin reminded him.

"Request granted," Flavius said through gritted teeth, "but know this, Overlander. We shall have a truce for one year. And then I will return to exact our revenge on not just Regalia, but YOU as well."

With that, he staggered out of the atrium, defeated. All the foxes still alive shuffled out of the atrium in humiliation. Brutus shot them one last glare before leaving as well.

Calvin looked around him at the destruction and chaos. Somehow, against all odds, they had weathered difficult storms and fought through many challenges to make it so far. Somehow, against all odds, they were still alive. Somehow, against all odds, they had succeeded.

**And the quest is finally over! Thank you for all your support for me and please remember to review this chapter. This was easily the most action-packed chapter, so I hope everybody enjoyed it thoroughly. As my story is coming to an end, I would really appreciate it if you could write a review for me after reading it so I have a good idea what everybody thinks of this story.**

**Whew! This was a long chapter! It was easily over 5.5k words and really stressed me out. But I'm done with it! Once again, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**It's been a fantastic journey, but it's not over yet. I hope to see more people reviewing as my story draws to a close!**

**Question: Will this be the last Calvin sees of Flavius? Or do YOU think Flavius should return? Maybe you want a different enemy? Although my general plotline has been planned, I would like to know YOUR thoughts! So don't forget to answer this question in your review!**


	29. Chapter 29: Legacy

**Hi Guys! To all those who reviewed my previous chapter, I'm extremely grateful for your continued support throughout this story as it draws to a close. I implore all others who haven't reviewed my latest chapters to please review them! Furthermore, for all those who haven't reviewed my story at all, please just write one review about the entire story as a whole. I'm hoping to reach 100 reviews by the end of the month.**

**More specifically, thank you to IMightWriteAFanfic for your encouraging words of support as well as your honest critique of the chapter. I'll be working on improving the action scenes, don't worry :) As for the return of Flavius… I'm not dropping any spoilers here**

**Thank you to Bobb Wells as well for reviewing chapter 28. I love the fact that you like this story and your reviews are detailed. I really appreciate the fact that you have taken effort to review my story. Thank you to haha77 for reviewing both chapter 27 and 28! You are the only person apart from Witwickety who reviewed my chapters both back in December last year, and now this year! Thank you to perhaps my longest-running supporter, Witwickety, for reviewing my chapter as well. And yes, it sounds good with action music. I've tried :)**

**Finally, thank you I am cool boom, a guest reader who has reviewed my work as well. Thank you for that, and don't forget to review this chapter as well!**

**This chapter is meant to slowly close off the book. It may appear a little abrupt, but I hope you still enjoy it. Because we start to get to business building up the suspense for the next chapter. Enjoy Chapter 29!**

**Chapter 29: Legacy**

Calvin put his Uzi away and rushed over to Ripred's side. "Ripred, are you alright?" he asked the old rat.

Ripred groaned. "Do I look alright to you, boy?" he replied sarcastically.

Calvin smiled. "At least you still have your sense of humour," he remarked. "Erik!" Calvin then called out, "get some bandages for-"

Erik. Erik was gone. Calvin stopped short of continuing. He turned around to see the body of his friend and he felt his heart sink. Erik had gone through so much with him. He had been the first and only guard that Calvin had befriended. He was Calvin's instructor and trainer back at the arena. And he had been a fellow quest member who had saved his life. Calvin just seemed at a loss for words.

"I'll get them, Overlander," Hadrian offered, and he dashed off to get the bandages from Erik's backpack.

"You should have killed Flavius," Ripred growled at Calvin.

"Then we wouldn't have had a chance of stopping this war for good. Only Flavius could have called off the siege of Regalia," Calvin explained.

"Make no mistake boy, the war is far from over. It has only just begun," Ripred warned, "We are far from done with Flavius. I'm not entirely sure this is the last we'll see of him."

"We've done our job. We finished this quest. We've saved Regalia, Ripred," Calvin said, and he couldn't stop the pride from entering his voice.

"Ah, that we've done," Ripred acknowledged, "Hooray. Only my hundredth successful quest."

"At a heavy price," Calvin mumbled, as he saw Edward lifting Erik's body.

"War will always come at a heavy price," Ripred said softly, "Trust me, I've paid enough to know how much it costs. And it's almost never worth it."

"It's your job to stop wars, remember? You're the peacemaker," Calvin replied with a wry smile.

"Vikus really shouldn't have told you about that," Ripred grumbled. Hadrian came over and wrapped a thick bandage over Ripred's wound on his right side to stem the flow of blood. Hadrian then wanted to wrap a bandage over the reopened scar on his face, but Ripred refused to have his face bandaged.

For the next few minutes, Hadrian walked around, using the bandages to cover the injuries of the rest of the quest members. It turned out that apart from Erik, the rest of the quest members involved in this final battle were still alive. Some of them were badly injured, but they were all still alive. And that was all that mattered in the end.

Apparently, when Calvin was firing from his Uzi, a stray bullet had hit Agamemnon's wing. Calvin found the big bat slouched against the wall, his eyes glazed over from the pain. "Agamemnon!" Calvin called out, rushing to the bat's side.

"Overlander," Agamemnon slurred in reply.

"I'm so, so sorry for shooting you. I really had no idea that I had hit you," Calvin apologised profusely, feeling incredibly guilty.

"It's fine, Overlander," Agamemnon murmured, "in fact, I should be thanking you. You have saved Regalia, and brought peace to me. In the end, Donegan did not die in vain. Thank you, Gunner."

Agamemnon then stumbled to his feet, and wriggled his left wing, which was the wing which had been shot by the bullet. He then hobbled out of the tunnel, as the quest members exited the tunnel one by one after their injuries had been bandaged by Hadrian.

Calvin was the last to leave. He took one last look at the atrium. He wouldn't have fond memories of this place, but he would remember it forever. This was the location where he became more than just Calvin Oberton. This was the location where he became Regalia's saviour. This was the location where he truly became the gunner. No matter how ridiculous that title sounded, he didn't mind living with it. Because that would be his legacy.

He fitted his pistols into his pockets and removed his armour, placing them in his backpack along with his Uzi. He then heaved the backpack up, and made his way out of the atrium. As Calvin quickly caught up with his fellow quest members, he felt hundreds, maybe thousands of fox eyes boring holes into his back. He couldn't see the eyes in the darkness, but he could feel them. He could feel the hate for him in the air. And somewhere, up in the darkness, a pair of yellow eyes would be swearing vengeance against Calvin.

And although that troubled Calvin a little, he knew that now was the time to relax. Even the heroes of Regalia needed a break. "Since we are no longer travelling by stealth and since we no longer need the cover of the jungle, we'll take the faster route. We'll travel by the Plains of the Underland and into gnawer territory, before heading straight for Regalia," Ripred ordered, "Agamemnon, are you up to flying?"

Agamemnon nodded, stretching his wing tenderly. "There will be a little pain, but nothing I cannot endure."

Ripred nodded. "Flying it is then. We travel on the fliers back to Regalia," he concluded.

They stopped by the other atrium to pick up Temp's body, which had not been touched. Perhaps it was Calvin's own imagination, but Temp suddenly appeared much more peaceful, almost as if he had finally rested in peace following their success.

Ripred and Luxa climbed on top of Aurora, while Hadrian and Conrad climbed on top of Dionysus. Nike would carry the twins Flyfur and Sixclaw, while Agamemnon would just carry Gnasher, since he was injured. Lapblood and Edward were allocated to ride Perseus, although there was added wight as Edward was carrying the body of Erik and Lapblood was taking care of Temp's body. Perseus was a strong bat, though, and could carry the weight of all four individuals. Meanwhile, Hero and Calvin both chose to sit on Hecate together.

Ripred took one last look at the schemer tunnels. "By my mother's front teeth I'm glad we're out of here," Ripred remarked, as the bats took flight, carrying them away from the schemer tunnels. Calvin looked over at the vast expanse below him as the bats soared through the air.

"The Underland is really beautiful," he said to Hero.

She smiled. "Yes, it is," she agreed.

They stared into each other's eyes for a while, and Calvin realised how beautiful she truly was. "Thank you for saving my life just now. You were the true saviour of this quest. If not for you, we would be dead by now. I would be dead by now," he told her.

"No, thank YOU. It was only through your inspiring words of encouragement that i was able to muster the courage to join the final battle in the first place, remember?" Hero replied.

Calvin shrugged. "In the end, it was all you. You made the decision to join us in the end. Nerissa was right. Your role on this quest was the most crucial of all. You gave us hope when there was none left," he said softly.

"Thank you, Calvin," she responded just as softly.

They both turned and found themselves looking at Erik's lifeless body. "I'll really miss him," Hero croaked, and Calvin could hear the pain in her voice.

"I'll miss him too. But at least he died fighting for what he believed in. And he died for something which we succeeded in. There is no greater honour than that," Calvin said in consolation.

They remained silent for a little while more, reliving their memories of Erik. He had been a great soldier, and an even better friend. Calvin didn't know how else to compliment him. He felt so frustrated with himself that he hadn't spent more time with Erik, just because he spent so much time talking to and grieving for Murellus. _Flavius_, he corrected himself. The whole betrayal seemed way too surreal for him to just swallow it all in first time.

"Calvin," Hero began, drawing his attention back to her, "I've made an important decision. I think… I think… I want to split up from Harold, and be with you. Because I've realised on this quest that I don't love… that I don't love Harold, but that I… love… I love you," she concluded, turning bright red in colour.

Her stammering had confused Calvin initially, but he soon got the gist of what she was saying. He thought about it. Ever since he met Hero, he had liked her in the romantic kind of way. he hadn't had feelings for any girl like he had for Hero. She was pretty, smart, brave, strong… but something just felt wrong with getting together with her. And he had a feeling why.

"Hero," Calvin said, clearing his throat, "I'm really sorry, but we just can't be together."

Hero seemed stunned. "Why not?"she blurted out.

"Because I'm an Overlander. I'm not from here. I have a feeling that me being with you is against your customs, but even if it isn't, I'm not staying down here. I have a life up there in the Overland, and I can't promise that I'll return now that this quest is over. I don't belong here, and it's not healthy for us to pursue a relationship if one of us is not committed. It's not that I don't love you. I want to be with you too. But I can't," he answered sadly.

Hero still seemed taken aback, but she recovered quickly and nodded, saying, "I understand."

Hero looked so crushed that Calvin instantly felt bad about rejecting her, but he knew he had no choice but to do that. "Hey," he said, "it doesn't mean I'll ever stop loving you, especially after what we've been through together."

They both stared intensely at each other's eyes. Calvin could see the tears in her eyes, and his own tears began to well up in his eyes. And then Hero began to lean in. Calvin reciprocated, leaning in as well. When both their lips touched, Calvin felt a wave of energy surge through his body. This was the first kiss he had ever given, and he found himself enjoying the softness of Hero's lips. Above all, he felt the love and passion of hero in that kiss.

It was a light kiss, not one of those long, passionate kisses he saw some of his friends do in school. This was a kiss between close friends who could never be lovers. After a few seconds, hero pulled back and held Calvin's found the blood rushing all over his body. He noticed Hero's face flushed as well.

Just then, he heard a loud noise going on below him. He looked down to see hundreds of foxes retreating back towards the schemer tunnels, with their lieutenants leading the way. When they looked up at the quest members flying through the air, an echo of jeers filled the Underland for a while. The foxes howled in fury at the quest members, while Luxa provocatively blew them a kiss. Ripred roared away in laughter as he was met with an even louder chorus of jeers and hate.

But they couldn't do anything apart from jeer, which to Calvin, was the sign of a defeated army. At least Flavius had kept his word for once. The foxes were in retreat, and the Underland was safe. For now, at least.

They took a break at one of Ripred's old nests for a while, before they set off again. Each and every quest member was eager to get back to Regalia, after all. As the bats flew over a rushing river below them, Calvin overheard Luxa whisper to Ripred something about the Warrior and someone named "Tick". Calvin had no idea who Tick was, but he had no intention of finding out either. There were just too many stories here in the Underland, and some of them were meant for another day.

Within a few hours, Calvin could see the walls and the might palace of Regalia. The massive statue of the Warrior could also be seen now. The walls were stained with blood, and Calvin could see the bodies of foxes and even some Regalians at the foot of the wall. But the plains in front of regalia, which were earlier occupied by the fox's siege, was now deserted. It truly was all over.

As they neared the walls of Regalia, Calvin could hear the guards yell out, "They have returned! The quest members have returned! Lord Ripred returns! King Conrad returns! Queen Luxa returns!"

The bats, looking like they wanted to put on a show, rocketed past the walls at full speed, and soared through Regalia. People were now leaving their homes and running onto the streets, waving and cheering excitedly. Calvin could even see Vikus, Hazard, Nerissa, Howard, Mareth and Perdita standing in the palace, waving enthusiastically.

Luxa herself was waving to her people as the bats made another triumphant flight over the streets of Regalia. Calvin could even hear people cheering for him, "Overlander! Overlander! Overlander!" Ripred had an arrogant grin plastered on his face, but Calvin didn't mind Ripred being arrogant. They had just triumphed, after all. Conrad joined in the waving as well, although Calvin was conscious of some people in the crowd jeering him.

Finally, the bats made a turn and soared towards the palace, where Vikus and the rest were waiting. They quickly dismounted off their bats and Calvin found himself embracing so many different people. One moment, Nerissa was congratulating him, and the next Howard was thanking him for taking care of his sister.

And then Calvin saw Mr Bennett standing at the back. Calvin shoved around a bit discourteously, before getting to Mr Bennett and giving him a big hug. "Boy am I glad to see you still alive," Mr Bennett said, hugging Calvin tightly, "you've done us proud, Calvin, You've done your father proud."

"And you've done me proud," came a familiar voice from behind. Calvin turned around to see Mr Carter standing there. Apart from looking a bit weathered, he looked completely fine. Calvin found himself racing into Mr Carter's arms as well, almost tackling him down. They didn't say anything but hug each other for a while. Finally, they let go of each other and Mr Carter looked Calvin in the eyes seriously. "I have something important to discuss with you alone," he told him.

They walked over to one corner, where Mr Carter asked for details of Calvin's adventure. So Calvin began vividly recounting the entire journey, save some of the private moments. He spoke in greater detail during the moments when he applied Mr Carter's training, and it was in those moments that Calvin could see Mr Carter's eyes filled with the utmost pride. Calvin finally concluded his story, and said, "This wouldn't have been possible without you."

"Thank you," Mr Carter replied, his voice unusually choked up with emotion, "Thank you for acknowledging me. But there is something I need to tell you. And it's that I can't be with you for the rest of your journey in the Underland."

All of a sudden, Calvin found his heart in his mouth. "What… what… what do you mean? I thought… I thought we were going… going home together. I've saved… Regalia already. Haven't I?" Calvin stuttered.

"My dear Calvin, YOU aren't finished with helping this city yet. There are greater threats than the foxes that you have yet to face here. And Regalia needs you when those threats come. But unlike, Regalia, you don't need me anymore. I promised to teach you until the day you could fight for yourself. And that day has come. You have proved yourself to be a true fighter, and you won't find a prouder teacher than me," Mr Carter replied shakily.

"I don't understand," Calvin asked, still thoroughly confused, "I still have so much to learn from you. And even if I've learned all I can learn, why can't you stay with me to fight alongside me?"

"Calvin," Mr Carter responded, sounding old and weary again, "I must tell you a secret that I've hidden from you for far too long. Before I met your father, I was an assassin, who was on the loose and I was wanted for some of the atrocities I have committed. Then, while on the run, I met your father. He was the greatest man I had ever met. He kindly offered me a chance to hide for the rest of my life without worrying by creating a false identity for me. In return, I would assist him when he needed me to."

Calvin was left absolutely shell-shocked by Mr Carter's words. Mr Carter was an international… criminal? He couldn't believe his ears.

Mr Carter continued, "Your father finally offered me the chance to repay him. He said he wanted me to teach you and protect you for the rest of your life until you could defend yourself. He then put me through to Ripred so I knew what to teach you. Apart from Operation Claw, your father, and Mr Bennett, I was the only other one who knew of the Underland. And so I have taught you. But the day has come that I have taught you all I can, and you are ready to face the world on your own."

He then took a deep sigh and went on, "If there is one thing you taught me, it is to always believe in honour and human goodness. And that really touched my heart. So I have decided to give myself up to Interpol in order to pay for the crimes I have committed. I am ready to redeem myself."

Calvin had no idea what to say next. "But," he said weakly, "you already have redeemed yourself. You've played a massive role in saving an entire civilization. You've brought me up well. You have become a good man. Is that not redemption enough?"

Mr Carter shook his head sadly. "I wish it were enough to make me feel better, Calvin, but turning myself over is what I want to do. I want to do something that makes me feel clean and pure again. Just as I have taught you well on how to fight, so have you taught me well on how to be a good man. Thank you for that."

Calvin had no more words left in his throat. With tears streaming down his face, he embraced Mr Carter one more time, but more tenderly. After all, this would be their last hug. "I'm going to miss you Mr Carter. And I just want to say that I'm so grateful to you for all you've done, and I'm so proud of you for what you are about to do."

Mr Carter began to cry as well. "Thank you so much, Calvin," he replied, "thank you for everything you have given me. And do your father and me proud by defending this city. Your legacy is now immortal."

With that, he let go of Calvin, and went over to hug Mr Bennett, who had broken down into tears as well. He then nodded to Ripred, who nodded back in turn. Finally, he nodded to Vikus, who offered to let him fly out of the Underland on his bond, Euripedes. Calvin waved to Mr Carter one last time and his mentor and teacher flew away.

Ripred walked up to Calvin. "So he's decided to do the honourable thing?" the old rat asked.

Calvin nodded without saying anything. He didn't feel like talking.

"Sometimes," Ripred mused, "I wonder if I should turn myself over to the Regalian authorities. They would gladly prosecute me and throw me behind bars though. I think they don't like me. Must be from the number of times I've insulted them. Talk about a fair trial."

Ripred's words brought a small smile to his face. The rat walked away, but not before telling Calvin, "Go and shower. Clean yourself up. We're going to proceed to the arena soon for a ceremony of memorial for the dead. It's either that or some other stupid event. All you need to know is that it's rubbish you're required to attend."

Calvin nodded and immediately headed for the showers, where he gave himself a good scrub down in the tub. Unlike the first time, he was now familiar with the practice of showering and cleaning yourself in the Underland. As expected, he stank badly, and needed to give himself a long and thorough shower to wipe the smell of his body. He then found a fresh pair of clothes waiting for him when he left the shower and slipped them on.

The feeling of the web against his skin made him feel much better. He slipped on his shoes again and made his way to the High Hall, where he found Hecate waiting for him. She probably noticed how distress he looked, and didn't say anything to him. She herself had a shower as well, and her fur looked neat and tidy again. Without a word, she flew him to the arena, where the ceremony had already begun.

Calvin managed to find a whole row of empty seats and took his place there, with Mr Bennett taking a seat in front of him. In the middle of the arena, they had placed Temp's and Erik's body as well as all the other bodies of soldiers who had died fighting for Regalia. Luxa had begun a eulogy for all of them, but Calvin wasn't really listening to her. he just sat back and thought about everything he had gone through.

Someone took a seat to his right. Calvin turned to find that it was Nerissa. "Hey," he greeted her emotionlessly. Then, thinking about his last conversation with her, he decided to add, "I'm sorry about what I said to you. And thank you so much for all the encouragement you gave me. It turned out you were right about a lot of things. Hero, hope, me being the key to success… you were right about all these things in the end."

Nerissa smiled. "Your father was right about you," she told him, "when he said that you were full of humility and maturity. And the most incredible thing is that you have somehow stepped out of the shadow of the Warrior," she said, looking at his statue.

She then continued, "I thought that no matter what happened, you would still fall short of outdoing the Warrior and his legacy. But you did something completely different. You didn't surpass his legacy, you forged your own. You have made yourself a legend, Gunner," she said with extra relish, causing Calvin to smile.

"It's not just me," Calvin said humbly, "it's down to the people around me, including you."

"No," Nerissa disagreed, "it was you who made the step in the end. You made the ultimate leap of faith. Which reminds me of something I need to tell you. And this is the primary reason why I am sitting next to you."

She looked around, before leaning in, "I need you to find somebody and bring this person here to the Underland. Your father has prepared directions for you to find him. I will personally let you know when the time is right. It will probably be a year from now, so find him before the year is over."

"Who is this person? And why him?" Calvin asked.

"He has been to the Underland before, although that was a very long time ago. I'm afraid I cannot reveal his purpose yet, but I am sure that you must find him for the safety of Regalia. Tell no one about this. Not your caretaker, not Hecate, not anyone you trust. His name is Gregor," Nerissa answered.

For some reason, when Nerissa uttered Gregor's name, he felt a ripple of anticipation rolling through his body. There was just something about his name and the way that Nerissa said it that made him feel.. different.

"Ok, I'll do that," he promised Nerissa, "I'm leaving now, anyway."

Nerissa raised an eyebrow. "So soon?" she asked.

"I've realised that I've been away from home for far too long. It's time for me to go," he explained, tapping Mr Bennett's shoulder to signal that they were leaving.

Nerissa nodded understandingly. "A pity. You'll miss the party. But you can leave this city proud of yourself. You have left a legacy as its saviour. Fly you high, Calvin the Overlander."

"Fly you high, Nerissa," he replied, and he got up to leave the arena.

He left the arena quietly along with Mr Bennett, and the both of them didn't talk. They didn't have to. There would be much more time for talking later. Just as he set foot outside of the arena, he heard a voice call out to him, "You're going to leave without saying goodbye?"

Calvin turned to find Ripred emerging from the shadows. Ripred raised an eyebrow at Mr Bennett, and Mr Bennet understood what the rat meant. He walked over to one side, giving them the privacy that the High General of Regalia desired. "I'm coming back," he told Ripred.

Ripred snorted, "I know that. That's why you didn't kiss Hero goodbye."

When Calvin's face lit up bright red in alarm and embarrassment, Ripred chuckled, "Please, Overlander, I could smell the love you two had for each other from a mile away. I have smelled love before, so it comes as no surprise to me."

"If you tell anyone about this…" Calvin warned fiercely.

Ripred just laughed. "You're secret is safe with me," Ripred teased.

Clearing his throat, the old rat got straight to the point, "When are you returning?" he asked, "Not that I'm going to miss you."

Calvin grinned, but answered seriously, "I don't know when I will return. I guess I'll return when you guys need me to." He chose to leave out the part about finding the guy called Gregor, as Nerissa had instructed him to.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Ripred asked suspiciously.

"No," Calvin insisted, trying not to show signs of telling a lie.

But Ripred looked satisfied with the answer. "Hmm… alright then. Good job on following MY advice to create your own legacy and not get crushed by the Warrior's legacy, blah blah blah. How are you going to get home without Hecate?"

Calvin frowned, "I thought Hecate is waiting at the landing for me."

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Don't assume things, Overlander. She's in the arena. I'll go and call her for you."

Calvin nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Ripred. Please help me say goodbye to Vikus, Luxa, Hero, Lapblood and all the others."

Ripred shrugged. "I can do that, but maybe I won't."

"Ripred…" Calvin warned again.

"I was just pulling your leg. Your sense of humour is just as bad as Conrad's," Ripred snorted again, "but I guess this is goodbye then. Fly you high, Calvin the Overlander." With that, the old rat trotted off.

"What was that about?" Mr Bennett asked.

"The future," Calvin answered, as he saw Hecate flying out of the arena and towards him.

**Wow. It's just so overwhelming now that my story is about to end. I'm really, really thankful for all the reviews I've gotten. I expected a LITTLE bit more, but what can I say apart from the fact that this has been wonderful journey with wonderful supporters, and I must thank you guys for it. One more chapter left to go!**

**P.S. I hope you enjoyed the little reference to Gregor in this chapter. And I hope Gregor's introduction into my series to help to attract more readers and fans! **

**Question: What can Calvin expects when he finds Gregor?**


	30. Chapter 30: The Warrior

**Hi Gus! Thank you so much for all the reviews that have come in. It's been a fantastic journey with all of you, and I've really learned a lot about myself and my writing. Thank you to IMightWriteAFanfic, haha77 and Mythology Bookworm for reviewing my previous chapters, and I hope you're looking forward to the sequel. Thank you to guest readers Jimmy and HumanicHedgeHog for reviewing my chapter as well. I hope all readers can review my Chapter 30, as we have technically reached the end of this story and I'd like to know your thoughts.**

**That being said, this chapter isn't the end. Tomorrow, I'll be posting up an epilogue to let you guys take a tiny, tiny peek at what is to come. I'm trying to reach at least a hundred reviews by the end of the month, so please don't forget to review! If I can hit that milestone, I'll definitely write the sequel.**

**In addition, here is a small shout-out to Tytonic, another Underland Chronicles author who has just decided to stop writing. Good luck to your future endeavours! His stories are quite decent so you can read them as well.**

**Here is Chapter 30. I hope I have your tongues wagging with excitement at the end of this chapter, because it signals the beginning of… **

**Chapter 30: The Warrior**

Calvin sat in the back of a cab he had hired to pick him up, reading from a thick stack of files that had been given to him. It had been about a month since his return from his adventures in the Underland, and the summer break had just started. As he leaned forward looking into the files, he began to replay the last six months' worth of memories in his head.

It started when Hecate had flown them up to the gold shaft, and Calvin climbed back into the reality he was used to. He had said goodbye to Hecate with the promise that one day, he would return to the Underland. Satisfied with his promise, Hecate bade him farewell and disappeared down the shaft.

Calvin returned to school with the excuse that he had fallen very ill, and had been undergoing self-medicating for a long time. His friends at school, including Samantha, began to tease him that he had deliberately missed school those past two weeks. Calvin laughed along, but deep down of course he knew they were right.

The bullies in school continued to torment people, but now with a greater fear. Calvin had begun to grow confident in himself, and could easily ward off any bullies. He tried to protect the innocent and weak in the school, just as his father had taught him. It had earned himself points with the girls who were now impressed with his bravery, but Calvin wasn't looking for that. He was looking to do what was right.

He had struck up a small relationship with Samantha. He had no idea why he started liking her, but for some reason, he could see glimpses of Hero in her. She was really genuine as well, unlike some girls who just wanted to get near Calvin for his money. Samantha actually cared for Calvin and behaved just like a true friend would. Calvin just didn't know whether to call her his girlfriend. Their relationship was still far from serious.

In the end, he was right. He did return from the quest a changed person. Before that, it had all been about himself, and his needs and wants, whether it was his need to make himself feel better or his need to take out his anger on something. Before, he used to fight criminals and gangsters out of some misplaced feeling of trying to avenge his father by fighting crime on the streets. Now it had become about justice.

Calvin, throughout his journey in the Underland, had learned that the world was full of cruel people. Not just in the Underland, but in the Overland as well. There were plenty of selfish, malicious and twisted men out in the world causing others to suffer. Calvin was determined to fight them by being the exact opposite. Instead of terrorizing the people, he would give them the chance to feel hope. Too many people had been let down on this earth, too many people had their happiness taken away from them. And Calvin was going to give them the one feeling that could keep them going: Hope.

Hope that one day the world might be a better place, hope that one day discrimination would be eradicated, hope that one day violence was no longer necessary, hope that one day selfishness would be wiped off the face of the earth. They might be a long, long way from it, but if everybody continued to perform little acts of kindness and love, then one day it could be achieved. Hope was a powerful tool, one which could change the world just as much as hatred and destruction could.

The warped bastards in the world might deride his attempt to bring them down, but the truth was, once he started pushing, he would never give up. He had already begun plans to take down Zephyr for human rights abuses in the mining industry, and he had funded the "SAY NO TO RACISM" campaign using some of his company's reserves. Well, his father's company's reserves. Calvin was only supposed to officially inherit the company and its assets at eighteen, but he could still pull some strings.

Furthermore, he had also directed a significant portion of the company's funds to a foundation which was helping those children who had been involved in wars or who had parents involved in wards. They included child soldiers, the one group Calvin was most concerned about. He, of all people, knew the trauma of fighting war at a young age.

Meanwhile, Mr Bennett was recovering at home, following the strain of suffering a heart attack back in the Underland. Mr Bennett had sworn never to return there unless it was a matter of life and death, but he had reluctantly agreed to allowing Calvin to go back down there when he was called to do so.

Because Mr Bennett needed lots of rest to recover following his heart attack in the Underland, Calvin had done a large part of the housework himself. He considered employing another person to help him with the housework, but he thought about how that would make Mr Bennett feel and decided not to do it in the end. He would do most of the housework himself, an experience which had really taught him a lot.

Meanwhile, Calvin had seen and heard of Mr Carter's arrest through the news and social media. He was formerly part of a secret group of mercenaries whose name was not announced for national security reasons. His real name was Mr Michael "Knife" Harris, a renowned assassin. The media coverage was sensational, considering the astounding way he had turned himself over to the authorities. Thankfully, out of care and concern for Calvin, he never implicated Mr Richard Oberton, blaming a dead former companion for helping to conceal him in society. Although Calvin felt bad for all the hate Mr Carter received, he also felt proud of Mr Carter. Finally, his mentor could be at peace with himself.

To be completely honest, Calvin missed the Underland quite a bit. Sure as hell, it was more dangerous and Calvin had lost his life on more than just a few occasions, but there was just something about the kind of life down there that just appealed to him. He didn't know if it was the fighting or the thrill or just the grandeur of Regalia, but he actually really missed the Underland.

Of course, he had to take into account the fact that he had made many, many acquaintances there, and had also made numerous good friends there that he would trust over the friends he had in the Underland. Lapblood, Hecate, Hero… He would even count Ripred as a friend, even though they never ever treated each other as friends.

Down there, friendship was earned through trust, which Calvin found extremely important. Unfortunately, the same could be said for the Overland. It was often about what could be gained in terms of material assets through a friendship, rather than about truly caring and fighting for each other. Then again, trust could be easily discerned in the Underland through the numerous life and death experiences down there. In the Overland, there wasn't as many life and death experiences to build trust.

Nerissa was right when she said his father had left directions for him to reach the Underland. When he went to take a look at his father's notebook, he found that his father had Gregor's name scribbled down there, as well as some numbers scribbled in the book as well.

Apparently, his father had ordered an annual update on Gregor's address for the past eight years, and had also ordered for a significant lump of money to be transferred to his account annually. The total annual donation when added up was close to sixty thousand. That was almost five thousand a month.

Every year, the annual report on Gregor's location as well as the receipt of payment was delivered by an envelope to Calvin's house, and this year it was no different. Calvin spent some time gathering all the information his father had learned about Gregor and he compiled them into thick stacks of files.

As Calvin flipped through the files in his hands, he realised that Gregor was originally from New York City, before moving to a farm in Virginia when he was twelve years old, which meant that he must have gone to the Underland before that. After spending six years in Virginia, Gregor had returned to New York City, and had been spending the last two years of his life here in New York City, now at the age of twenty, albeit in a different location from his previous apartment.

According to the documents Calvin read, Gregor also had two sisters. But when he moved to New York City, they did not follow him. He was staying in New York City all alone. The reports and documents also showed that Gregor's family was not well-to-do at all, although they did have an upturn in fortune once they moved to Virginia, with their farm flourishing.

Calvin then turned the page and looked at his discipline records. He had been suspended multiple times while going to the school in Virginia, and was constantly getting into trouble all the way until he left school. Most of his offences had to do with fighting, although his constant defence or excuse in every situation was that he was acting in self-defence. If that really was the case, then Calvin felt really bad for Gregor.

After reading up on Gregor's profile, he didn't know whether to like him or dislike him. He didn't appear to be the kind of guy that Calvin had any respect for, considering his disciplinary record. He hated thugs and hated getting into fights, but this guy almost seemed to enjoy it, based on the number of fights he had gotten into.

That being said, Calvin should never judge a book by its cover, as his father kept teaching him back when they were young. He would need to get to know Gregor better first before making a judgement of him.

But what interested him most was the fact that his father and Nerissa appeared to be so interested in Gregor. Sure, Nerissa had claimed that Gregor had been to the Underland, but based on the age he had entered the Underland, he couldn't have made that much of an influence. He was guessing that Gregor was about nine or ten when he entered the Underland, and that meant he was far too young to make a difference.

He then wondered whether his sisters had gone down along with him too, but most importantly, why HE had gone down himself. Unfortunately, despite the amount of files and documents Calvin had, none of them contained the answer to his question. He would have to learn about this through Gregor himself.

Once again, he wondered why his father was so interested in this guy, and why Nerissa had told him not to tell anybody about his search for Gregor. He guessed they had their reasons, but that was another story to add to the collection of stories he would have to hear another day.

The cab whizzed through the streets of Manhattan, before taking a sudden turn into an old, yet well-maintained street. Calvin looked up. They were here.

Calvin instructed the cab driver to wait for him, as he got out of it. He then made his way to an old set of apartments and re-checked the address. The sixth floor it was, then. He tried to take the lift, but it appeared to be out of maintenance. Calvin then took the stairs. Before he got to the Underland, if he had to climb six flights of stairs, he would be complaining. But after all he had been through, six flights of stairs was really no problem.

He got to the sixth floor and walked up to room 603. The door was unadorned and looked plain, perhaps a representation of the kind of life that Gregor lived. Not knowing what to expect, he naturally felt nervous about meeting Gregor. What kind of person was Gregor?

And then Calvin remembered the threats he had faced just over a month ago. Squids, serpents, poisonous gases, foxes, RAGER foxes, scorpions and an entire army. There was no reason to be afraid of knocking on the door to meet somebody. And so Calvin rang the doorbell and knocked on the door three times.

He was not expecting what he saw next. A young man with dark hair opened the door, looking dishevelled. He was tall, standing just over six feet, and he was muscular as well. Calvin could see his body tense up, and he saw the man trying to control it from tensing up. But none of these details struck Calvin as much as what he saw in this man's eyes.

When he looked deep into the man's eyes, he could see the intelligence, the deadliness, and, most surprisingly, the pain. This man was much more complicated than any he had ever known and looked much more dangerous. Even in the Underland, amongst all the soldiers down there, he had never felt out of his league. He did now.

"Hi there. I'm looking for a Gregor Walker," Calvin said apprehensively.

The man stared hard at Calvin, looking like he was trying to decide what to do with him. He eyed Calvin from head to toe, and didn't say anything. He stayed like that for one minute, before finally opening his mouth.

"Well, you've found him."

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to review my story(my sim is 100 reviews) after this, and if you have any questions about anything else, you can PM me anytime so we can discuss… stuff.**

**There won't be a question for this week, but do look out for the epilogue tomorrow. Remember to review!**

**Fly you High,**

**Vengeous **


	31. Epilogue

**So this is it! The final chapter per se in my story. This epilogue doesn't reveal too much of the plot, but it should excite you for the next book. At this stage, I would like to thank all those who reviewed my last chapter: IMightWriteAFanfic, Bobb Wells, haha77, HumanicHedgeHog, MythologyBookworm, i am crazy boom, Witwickety, Dferg11 and another guest reader. Thank you to you guys for reviewing my last chapter! It means the world to me. I will do a final round of thanks later at the end of this epilogue. To complete my story has given me wonderful satisfaction, and seeing as I have 97 reviews, I just need 3 more to meet my mark. So I'll assume I got that target and so here's a great round of thanks to everybody!**

**Enjoy the epilogue.**

**Epilogue**

He sat in the corner of the meeting room, observing what was going on. He didn't need to participate in the conversation. It was just a bunch of scientists arguing. There was really no part for him to play in this discussion. He was hired by Operation Claw to do one thing, and that was to kill whoever they wanted dead.

There were very few mercenaries like him left. Once he was a follower in a group of mercenaries led by Michael "Blade" Harris and Viktor "Shadow" Raz.. But those days were over. Now he was no longer the follower, but was now the leader. Most mercenaries these days fought individually rather than as a group. Gone were the good old days where whole hordes of mercenaries were hired at once to do a devastating job.

But that's exactly what Operation Claw did. Seeing how important and necessary it was to have an army of fighters on their side, no matter how small it was, they had hired his band of mercenaries and fighters almost five years ago. At this point in time they had almost nothing to do, but they were still getting paid big sums every month.

Their first job had been to get rid of Richard Oberton, a rich businessman who had refused to fund Operation Claw, and even tried to leak the information out. He had been sent along with his mercenaries to kill Oberton, and one day finally isolated him and killed him. For some reason, he had felt a wave of respect for Mr Oberton. His actions had been that of a blind and idealistic fool, but he had believed in honour and goodness to the end, something which he saw little in people these days. And that deserved respect.

Ever since then, they hadn't had much to do apart from a bit of espionage here and there, which was really frustrating the younger mercenaries. They were itching for something to do, but he knew they had to be patient. The time to kill was fast coming up, especially with Operation Claw ready to get set in place.

However, him and his mercenaries had nearly been made irrelevant by the foxes, or schemers as they had called themselves. If those foxes had destroyed Regalia, then he wouldn't have to kill anybody anymore. But the foxes blew their plan, and ultimately failed, leaving him with a job yet to do and a constant flow of cash.

The door opened and one of the foxes stepped in. He instantly recognised that fox. It was Flavius, King of the foxes. He had always thought highly of Flavius, because of his sharp, analytical thinking as well as his lethal way of fighting. Flavius had told him that they were very similar in the way they fought, because they were part of a rare group of fighters called ragers.

Ragers were apparently natural killing machines. He had no idea whether being a rager was something good or bad in the Underland, but if Flavius was a rager, then he didn't mind being a rager as well.

He hadn't seen Flavius in months ever since he infiltrated Regalia. Although his infiltration was successful, the final execution of his plan had failed. And he was looking at the price Flavius had paid for it. The whole right side of Flavius' face was covered in a metal mask, and based on the way his mask was shaped, he knew Flavius had lost his right eye as well.

The lead scientist, Dr Schmidt, looked up at Flavius. "King Flavius, it's good to see you again! How's your face? Did our doctors successfully restructure the right side of your face?" he asked.

"Your doctors didn't do anything successful," Flavius spat, "all they did was remove the bullets from my face and give me this stupid mask. They can't even restore the vision in my right eye."

"I'm afraid they don't have the capability to restore vision," Dr Schmidt said apologetically.

He decided to speak up. "The mask looks good on you," he remarked. He paused, suddenly realising something. "Wait, you had two bullets in the right side of your face?"

"Yes, I'm lucky they didn't penetrate my skull completely. I could have died if Calvin Oberton fired one more bullet at my face," Flavius snarled.

"Calvin Oberton? Richard Oberton's son?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, he's the son of the man you killed. He has become quite popular in Regalia. People are calling him the Gunner. Why don't you show him how to really use a gun?" Flavius asked him.

He smiled in response but didn't answer. Flavius then turned to the other scientists. "I have news for you, and that is the primary reason I am here. I have heard rumours from soldiers in my army that the return of the Warrior is imminent."

Hearing what Flavius said, he frowned. He hadn't heard anything about a warrior, but apparently the scientists had and their reactions were not promising. Most of them had a look of concern and worry on their face, while he could see fear in some of their eyes. "We must stop him at all costs!" Dr Schmidt exclaimed.

He ignored Dr Schmidt. "Who is the Warrior?" he asked Flavius.

"Legend of the Underland," Flavius answered, "like you, he's apparently an Overlander rager."

An Overlander rager? Like him? That sounded exciting. The Underland was really ready for war now.

"You handle Calvin and Ripred. Then you can get your revenge on them," he offered Flavius.

"Alright. But what about the Warrior?" Flavius asked him.

He smiled. "Leave him to me. I will break him."

**So that's it! My story is complete. After this, I'll be labelling this story complete, and will do my editing/proof-reading later. It's been a wonderful journey, and I have a lot of people to thank for it. **

**But before that, I'd like to say that I'll be very busy for the rest of the summer, which means that I can't upload the second story immediately or update chapter after chapter at the same speed as this one. In fact, I'll be gone for a while, so I guess it's bye bye for me, and I hope to see ALL of you again the next time. It is with great sadness that I say it may be a long while before I start the second story, but I really hope to see everybody still here when it comes round. **

**Here's the name of the second book for all of you to speculate about: The Underland Chronicles II Book 2: Regalian Bloodbath**

**With that, I'd like to acknowledge the following people for reviewing my story:**

**-Witwickety, my first reviewer and someone who has followed me right to the end;**

**-Alpha Death, who originally went by a different name and was a pillar of support for me when I first began;**

**-4sdvzrh, perhaps my most critical reviewer and someone who has really helped to improve the plot of my story;**

**-XxxNennaxXRocks;**

**-Ares and Lizzie, guest writers;**

**-haha77, someone who put faith in me despite the absence of Gregor and reappeared this summer to give me the courage to continue;**

-**Nykolas Rubidoux-Son of Hades, who woke me up from a long hiatus and provided support for me in the middle of my story when no one else offered support;**

**-The Primordials' Champion, who kindly traded reviews with me;**

**-IMightWriteAFanfic, perhaps my most dedicated follower/reviewer and someone who has saved me from the depths of despair and gave me hope to continue this story. You were vital to my success, and reviewed every single chapter of mine;**

**-bj10082074;**

**-Thiazzie, passionate Gluxa fan;**

**-MythologyBookworm, who appeared this summer with her reviews, and added to the final push of encouragement to finish this story;**

**-Bobb Wells, perhaps my most faithful guest reader;**

**-5675 gregor and jimmy, guest readers;**

**-HumanicHedgehog, i am crazy boom and Dferg11, guest readers who offered me reviews at the end of my story;**

**and last but not least, all other guest readers who reviewed my story whose names I don't know. Thank you to all other readers as well who didn't review my story. Hopefully you can do that for the sequel!**

**Finally, thank you to BlackWolfUnder, DrGamepixel and randomguy3467 for following my story.**

**For all those above, I owe the success of this story to YOU. LAdies and Gentleman, I officially conclude The Underland Chronicles II Book 1: The Warrior's Legacy!**

**Fly you High,**

**Vengeous**


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